A Change is Gonna Come
by Tara Laurel
Summary: "The clap of a gunshot echoed throughout the lot..Steve muttered curses under his breath and I could hear Darry whisper Soda's name as we all tried to get a sense of where the noise had come from..No, not my brother, not Soda. Please, not Soda."
1. Why Do Fools Fall In Love?

I do not own The Outsiders book or movie or any of S.E. Hinton's original characters.

_Chapter Summary: While at the drive-in, the gang meets a new girl in town by the name of Danny, along with her rambunctious little brother, Jesse. She and Soda hit it off right away, but soon Danny's past is brought into the light and things get dangerous for her, and the boys._

Chapter One: Why Do Fools Fall In Love?

Someone once told me that courage "is when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do". Of course, this person was Atticus Finch and it wasn't really talking to me, but that doesn't matter. I believe books and the characters in them can speak to me, to us. They can teach us stuff, about life. Of course, I already knew this about life. It's like getting jumped or something. When you're surrounded, running isn't usually an option. You got 2 choices. You can just stand there and take it quietly, or you can fight. Maybe you are outnumbered three to one, but it don't matter. The first time I got jumped I cried like a baby afterwards. I hate admitting that, but I did. I didn't cry during, though, I fought. I fought every second and hollered for my brothers when I could. Honestly, I was terrified, but I kept going no matter what. I won that time, with help from my friends, but I did. Unfortunately, winning is rare.

Saturday nights is one of my best and worst times of the week. Sometimes the entire gang would do something together like go to a rodeo or movie. Other times there'd be a party to go to. I always favored the movies. They were the worst though because it's when the Socs had free time too. Most rumbles happened these nights, along with the most jumpings. I wasn't nervous this Saturday night though. Two-Bit and Soda-Pop had agreed to come with me on account of they didn't have dates for once. It was awfully hard to focus on the movie though with those two around. Two-Bit kept flirting with all the pretty Soc girls sitting near us and none of them could keep their eyes off Soda. When it came to the movie itself, Soda kept getting distracted by Two-Bit or girls or wanting a snack and would keep asking me what was going on or what he missed.

I was two sentences in to telling him what had just happened when a kid who couldn't have been more than eight ran past where we were sitting. He was screaming at some Soc guy who was doubled over in laughter at the kid's wild behavior. As the boy pushed past us, his arm thrust Soda's drink right in his face. Two-Bit and I were cracking up by the time Soda had jumped to his feet.

"Hey! Watch it!" My brother screamed, dripping of soon to be dry and sticky cola.

The kid paid no attention and continued yelling and cursing something fierce at the older boy who was still laughing. He was definitely a greaser kid, by the actions and the clothes. He wore faded and ripped blue jeans with a dirt stained t-shirt. His curly dark hair was crumple down by a worn out baseball cap that had seen too many heads.

"Jesse!"

Before Soda could say anything more to the kid, a girl ran by him and pulled the boy's arm so that he spun around to face her.

"Jesse, what were you thinking?"

"That's right, girl, you teach that little shit a lesson", the Soc snapped between chuckles.

"You stay out of this!"

"My, my, someone is getting frosted!"

"Get bent. Just shut your trap and mind your own business."

I had very rarely seen or heard a girl talk to a Soc like that before. He stopped laughing instantly and gave her a cold stare. I tensed and thought for sure him and his buddies were going to go after her. The guy looked around at all the people.

"No need to be testy, doll. I'll just see you later."

"Yeah!" the kid hollered after him as he walked away, "You better leave! Get out of here!"

"Jesse! That's enough!"

"Come on, I could take him. He's a punk."

"Oh really, little brother? Well, sorry to spoil your fun but you are not taking anyone on."

"Well geez, I only threw those bottles at him and chased him 'cause he was trying to hurt you and called us greaser trash".

"How many times have I told you that you can't be doing stuff like this? I told you about that language too. If you get in trouble, they take you away, remember?"

The kid kicked an empty bottle in the dirt and shoved his hands in his pockets. They both were quiet for a bit until he finally shook his head 'yes'.

"You could've gotten hurt too, honey. I just don't want anything bad to happen to you is all." She lifted his cap briefly and ruffled his hair before placing it back on, "we cool little man?"

He nodded again and it was then that for the first time the girl realized there was an audience to the conversation. She immediately turned to face us and saw Soda first, his face and hair still dripping. She stifled a giggle and quickly and repeatedly apologized. I could tell by the look in his eyes that Soda went from angry to happy instantly when he took a good look at her. He did that a lot with his spontaneous and wild personality, but this was different. She was a greaser no doubt, but resembled no other greaser girl I had ever met. Her ripped jeans hugged her legs and hips firmly. They were old and ragged but looked brand new on her. Her top also wasn't tiny or so low to make all the guys stare. Her hair was long, almost to her elbows and was a rich dark blonde. Her eyes were something else too. They weren't covered in dark colors like most greaser girls. She wore makeup, but only what she knew she needed. Behind the makeup, they were a foggy green, as if something had grown them older, like she has seen too much for her time. They were full of fire and passion, but also something else buried deep, hurt. She looked no more than 18 until you saw her eyes. I wouldn't have been surprised if she would have told us she was 25. One thing was for sure, she was beautiful. It wasn't long before she could tell I was staring at her too and she shot me a glance. Breaking the silence, she offered to grab Soda some napkins or get him a new drink. Like a school boy, Soda agreed to help her grab napkins but declined the drink. Even though the stand was in eyesight¸ she had Jesse come along beside them. When they returned, Soda was wiping his face, the movie was almost over and I was already planning when to come see it again, alone.

"I haven't seen you around before" Soda started as the girl began to leave, "what's your name?"

She paused and looked him from head to toe.

"Hey, I'm all sticky now. The least you can do is give me your name."

"What's yours?"

This girl was trouble already.

"Soda. Sodapop Curtis. This here is my little brother, Ponyboy, and our friend, Two-Bit."

"This is my little brother, Jesse. He's eight but has the attitude of a sixteen year old. My name's Danny, Danny Hill. We just moved here".

"Danny?" Two-Bit laughed, "Isn't that a boy's name?"

"Oh yeah and your three names sound so usual. I believe you're wearing yours" she stated slyly while turning from Two-Bit to Soda.

Soda blushed for the first time I had ever seen him blush in front of a girl. He was always so confident with women but seemed to be losing his cool with this Danny. I thought he had totally lost it and wasn't going to say a word until he broke into a grin.

"Well, I guess we all got something in common then, huh? Looks like the movie is done. You got a ride home or something?"

"We're just fine walking, thanks."

"Who said anything about a car? Don't got one but we could walk with you. You're new here. It isn't safe to walk these streets alone at night, especially with creeps like that guy from before around"

"I can beat him and his friends up if they come at us" Jesse proclaimed with a big smile.

"I bet you could" Soda approved with a nod "but you can't be too careful. We could back you up"

"I like him" Jesse stated boldly "they can come with".

"Well then," Two-Bit started, "looks like it's a date."

"Come on then," I finally jumped in, "let's split. Darry will blow if me and Soda het home too late again".

Danny and Jesse didn't live too far away but as we kept walking I suddenly realized we were heading South. Sodapop and Two-Bit didn't seem to notice.

"So," Two-Bit broke the silence, "where'd you move here from?"

"Everywhere. Folks moved us around a lot on account of my mom was teacher. Plus the fact that they got bored fast. They would've gotten bored of this town sooner or later and my mom would've gotten bored of the school and we'd have moved again."

"What do you mean by 'was' and 'would have'?" I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets, recognizing her tone and almost knowing the answer.

"Our parents passed away about two months ago, right after we moved here." She put her hand on Jesse's shoulder as we walked. "Well, my mom did. He wasn't my real dad, just my lousy step-father. My real dad died in the service when I was still in pigtails."

"I'm sorry", I now regretted the question but was still curious, "our folks are dead too. Car accident. How did it happen?"

"Ponyboy" Soda snapped.

"It's okay. I don't mind him asking, really. Car accident too, except it was some stupid teenage Soc. He was drunk. He had skipped school and gotten drunk in the middle of the day and went joy riding. Since we didn't know the town too well yet, my parents picked up us after school. They picked me and my sister and step-brother up and we were on our way to get Jesse when it happened."

"Where are your sister and step-brother now?"

"My older sister, Anna's in the hospital, has been since. She um, she hit her head pretty bad and isn't the same anymore. She has trouble finishing sentences and doing normal stuff like going to the bathroom sometimes. I visit her every day. My so-called brother, David, is probably out drinking or partying or counting his loot or something. My step-father's family took him in. He lives with his aunt and uncle in some rich neighborhood not too far from our place. So, it's just me and my brother, Jesse here.

"Man, that's rough" Two-Bit sighed, kicking a beer bottle off the curb.

"Wow, look at me," Danny said suddenly realizing what she had done, "telling my sob story to a bunch of strangers."

"Now that ain't true darling" Two-Bit grinned, "you a greaser, right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so."

"Then we're family" Soda finished for Two-Bit, staring long into Danny's unfailing eyes.

She gave a nod and stopped walking. Jesse bolted for the nearest house and a large dog came barreling towards him from underneath the porch.

"Hey," Soda began "He better be careful, that there is a Soc house".

"He's fine and no, it's not. It's our house."

"What?" We all almost shouted at the same time.

"It's the only thing my aunt and uncle would let us keep after my parents' died. It's big, yeah, but empty. Picked up a bed off someone's curb about a month ago, Jesse and I share it. Jesse's got a couple toys he keeps hidden in an old box in a closet. He doesn't want people thinking he is a kid. Then there's my pile of old books in a corner and a closet full of clothes. Pretty much covers the glamorous tour."

"Books?" I was suddenly interested in the conversation, "what kind of books?"

"Oh, all kinds. I just love to read, anything and everything. Movies, too. Don't get to do either of those things hardly anymore. Jesse has been begging me to take him to the drive-in all week and he stayed out of trouble all week, which for him is hard work, so I took him. Going to have to work an extra hour or so to pay for it but he deserves something nice."

"What's your favorite book?" I asked excitedly

"Whose dog is that?" Soda interrupted. He was interested in this girl, I could tell, and conversations about books were going to get him nowhere fast.

"He's ours. His name's Jack. Dad, my real dad, bought it for Jesse for Christmas one year when he was back with us. Jesse was only four but loved dogs and would watch them play all the time and imitate a barking noise when he was happy and a growling noise when he was mad. Dad wanted to give it to him before anything – I have to work extra hours just to take care of him but Jesse loves that dog more than anything else in the entire world and it would break his heart to get rid of him and I can't see breaking it anymore."

We could tell she didn't have any friends or anyone besides Jesse to talk to because she just kept telling us everything. She'd stop and apologize and tell us we could leave if we wanted but something told me she really needed this. It's like with me and Soda. If I have a rough day at school or work or something it's hard to talk to Darry about it so I bottle it up until we go to bed. Soda would stay up with me for hours if I needed to talk, and I would do the same for him. It was getting late though and we had almost forgotten we were in Soc territory. I kept looking over my shoulder and when Danny noticed she offered to let us come inside. We did and she was right. The house was big alright but, man, was it empty. There were a couple beat up chairs in the living room that Danny admitted to finding on the same curb as the bed. We sat down and she offered us something to drink but warned there was only water and probably sour milk. Jesse tried to sit still and join the conversation but soon reverted to playing with the dog in a corner. Not long into a tug-o-war between him and Jack, Jesse let out a long yawn, patted Jack on his side so he would lay down, and fell asleep on the hard floor, his beloved dog as his pillow. I used her phone to call Darry so he didn't worry like usual. He wasn't too keen on the matter and said if we insisted on risking our lives being out late on the South side of town, he would come over and drive us home.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything" I started, "but how can you live over here? Nothin' against you or anything but people around here don't really get along well with people like you, like us."

"Well, my step-father, Michael, was one of 'them', so is David. My mom became one by force of Michael. Jesse and I never really fit in but people didn't mess with us because my step-dad was so rich and scary. It's worked like that everywhere we've moved. Now that we're alone, things are different. I keep the windows boarded up. No use replacing the glass every time someone decides to thrown a rock or something through them. Jesse doesn't go anywhere alone, not even the yard. Have lots of locks on the doors and when people do come, Jack usually scares them off. He's a natural sweetheart and lover but will turn mean and vicious on anyone who tries to hurt him, or us."

Jack reminded me a lot of Soda. He was mangy but gorgeous, as was Soda who only got dressed or ran a comb through his hair when it was absolutely necessary. They both could turn off their manners and soft smiles in an instant when something threatened their family. They both had more wild energy than should be possible to have and they both loved sleep. I suddenly realized that I was comparing my brother to a dog and that someone was shaking my arm rapidly.

"Ponyboy. This ain't no sleepover. Time to go little buddy"

It was Darryl, shaking me, he was always shaking me. I didn't like it.

"Quit shaking me Darry. I'm awake, I'm awake. I wasn't even sleeping."

"Right" Two-Bit scoffed, "You were just resting your eyes while the four of us talked for an hour."

"An hour?" I asked groggily.

"Yeah" Soda said, smiling, "We were talking about the neighborhood when you dozed off on us, not long after Jesse did."

Falling asleep along with Jesse made me feel like a little kid and I quickly sat up straight and folded my arms, "you sit through an algebra and a history test and see how awake you are for the rest of the day".

If any other person had made a jab regarding Soda's dropping out of school, they would've gotten a good beating but to me Soda just grinned, "Darry got here nearly a half hour ago and even joined the conversation. Guess we were just out past your bedtime there kiddo." I jumped at him and he spun out of his chair just in time for me to land in it. I was exhausted but I managed to get up and chase him out the front door. Two-Bit, Darry, and Danny were close behind. Danny watched as all of us guys wrestled. We were laughing until the bright glow of headlights pulled up in front of the yard. We all straightened and prepared ourselves for anything. We were out of our territory and probably outnumbered. I saw Two-Bit reach for his pocketknife and Soda warned Danny to get back inside the house, but she refused. Four tall and well-built Socs stumbled out of the car. Before any of us could speak, Danny stepped forward and hollered that they needed to beat it and were trespassing on her property.

"Actually, sis, it's dad's property, which makes it mine, and these are my friends and I invited them over for some fun."

The boy came into the light of the headlights and was no longer a shadow. Danny immediately clenched her jaw and rose her chin, "Hello David", she said coldly.

"Oh come on now, Danny, I'm your big brother. What's with the attitude?" He was clumsy with his body language and speech.

"Like father like son is why. Nothing but pathetic drunks. I liked you, we played together, we talked about stuff, and this is the side you choose."

"You're the one who changed sides little sis. You're the one who chose this scum over your own family."

"You're not my family, not anymore."

"Oh yeah? Who is paying for all your sister's medical bills, huh? She'd be dead right now if it wasn't for my father's money, and so would you. Don't you forget that."

"My mother's dead because of your father's money! Don't you forget that!"

She rushed at him and rose her first to his face. He simply laughed, "Do it, and say goodbye to your sister, not to mention this house, that stupid mutt, and oh yeah, that punk kid brother of yours. Cutting you off won't even do that, the State will do it for us. What do you say, huh? Do it!" Danny opened up her hand from a fist slowly and we could all tell it took everything she had to resist and walk back over by Soda. She was so focused on restraining herself she hadn't even noticed Jesse was awake and outside.

"Hi David!" Jesse said with a big grin

"Hey buddy," David said with a fake smile.

"Jesse, get inside now." Danny ordered without hesitation in her voice. He ignored her and began walking toward David. As Jesse passed her, Danny grabbed him by the arm, "I said get! Now!" This time, he retreated inside and Danny glared at David, "you stay away from him. He doesn't know the real you and we're going to keep it that way."

"My, my! I almost forgot you all were here, what with the family reunion and all" David chuckled eyeing us up and ignoring his sister's statement.

Darry stepped in front of us. He was taller and bigger than all the Socs and a whole lot meaner looking. I found out later that He hadn't joined much in the conversation inside the house but spent most of the time trying to figure out this Danny girl and her situation. He could tell instantly Sodapop liked her and was sizing her up, as any big brother would do. He had nothing against her nor necessarily liked her yet. He respected her for all she was doing for her family and could relate to the battle. He also knew, like Soda and me, the feeling of losing your parents. If anything, he pitied her and understood her, but nothing more. That is, until that moment. Darry could see himself where Danny was, holding back a little brother, hollering at him and feeling lousy for doing it but having to to protect him, and having him nearly hate you for it. They were both almost the same age and had experienced more life than most people twice their years. They had connected. She was, truly, family. He locked eyes with David and let out a small, sly smile. "Look, you're new in town so I will give you one chance and one chance only pal. Beat it. Walk back to your fancy little car, get in, go home, and don't come back. We may be in your territory but not all your little buddies are here to back you up. It's four on four, I'd take you. How much blood do you think I could get out of you before the rest of your friends show up? What do you say, huh? Do it!" They guy was shaking a little but trying desperately to hide it. He took a long, slow drink, all the while having a staring contest with my brother. He finally finished and Darry lowered his head and narrowed his brow even more. I even got scared of him. David spun around and staggered to his car, the three others following him but not before throwing a few choice phrases our way. Danny loosened up as the vehicle sped off and thanked Darry and the rest of us.

"They'll be back" Soda said with a tired sigh, "do you want one of us to maybe stay the night just in case, you know, to keep you and Jesse safe?"

Darry and I exchanged glances and smiled at our brother's attempt to spend the night with this girl. He was right though, they would be back, angrier and with friends.

"That's sweet, thank you, but we'll be fine. If I know my brother, I mean, David, he will go home, stew in his own rage for awhile, throw some insults at us around with his buddies and then either pass out or go to bed. He doesn't have the motivation to come back here, for tonight at least. Too lazy. I'm going to go inside and make sure Jesse is going to bed and not trying to sneak out like usual. Sorry for keep ya'll so late, I really appreciate everything."

Darry nearly had to push Soda into the truck as he was still watching her walk up the porch steps. I was surprised we didn't get one of Darry's famous lectures about being out late, being out of our territory, making friends with a stranger, or a list of other things. Darry could always find something to scold us for, big or small, but remained silent that night. Soda did too. Even when we got home he barely said goodbye to Two-Bit and laid awake in bed with his arm slung under his head, staring up at the ceiling in the way Soda always does when he is thinking. This was different though. Soda's eyes were, well, glowing. I don't know how else to describe it. I had seen Soda flirt with and watch girls countless times since I was little, but his face never had looked like this, even with Sandy, even when he had described loving her. I laid awake next to him, trying to read his thoughts but not sure what to say or ask. Girls weren't my strongpoint in any way.

"She sure is something"

Soda broke the complete silence and my train of thought and nearly made me jump out of bed.

"What?" I asked groggily.

"That girl, Danny. She sure is something, huh Pony?"

I didn't know what to say so I simply agreed and Soda echoed a murmured "yeah" before rolling over on his side. I knew he wouldn't sleep though. Soda loved sleep and did it as much as possible but not when his mind was on girls. I rolled the other way and let out a heavy sigh. She really sure was something alright.

The next day I didn't have to work at the bowling alley and Soda and Steve were working extra hours at the DX. I had nothing better to do while Darry worked so I tagged along, to Steve's disappointment. The entire day Soda and I both kept our eyes peeled for Danny. We both would jump when a girl with dark blonde hair would pull up, but then sigh as each and every time it was a different girl. Steve soon noticed we were both up to something and forced the story of the previous night out of Soda. Steve's eyes lit up as Soda described Danny. Great, I though, just great. He likes her too. Who could blame him, though? She was smart, pretty, tough, and fun. I sat there, listening to my brother describe his new crush and suddenly realized I was picturing her in my mind. My cheeks went red hot and I knew what I was feeling. It was the same feeling I got around the tall blonde Soc girl in my English class who was always chewing gum and twirling her hair. The same feeling I got when I first met Cherry Valance and we walked together. I liked Danny.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a girl and small boy approached. Soda reached them first, Steve and I hurrying behind him.

"Danny," Soda said with a large grin, "what are you doing here?"

"Hey Soda, Hey Ponyboy. I remembered you saying something about working at the DX station last night and I, we, wanted to stop by and say thanks again for what ya'll did for us."

"That guy, your brother, David? He didn't come back, did he?" Soda asked with concern.

"No. Some of his friends dropped by this morning to throw rocks at the house but we survived."

"Me and Jack could've taken 'em," Jesse shouted boldly. "I told you I had my sling shot ready and loaded."

It was the first time I noticed it and was surprised I hadn't before. In his back right pocket sat an old, beaten up sling shot. It was worn and obviously had been used quite a few times. In his left pocket were small bumps I guessed to be rocks. Most kids carried toys like that for fun or mischief, but I could instantly tell that for Jesse, it was no toy. It reminded of the blades Johnny and Two-Bit had always carried with them. Sure, Two-Bit had his sleek black-handled switchblade for show, but always had his second knife on him for use.

"You must be Steve, Soda's friend," Danny figured, looking him over to size him up, "nice to meet you."

Steve took a proud step forward and ran his fingers through his curly hair as he shook Danny's hand. "Nice to meet you too," he said slowly, "I hear you're new in town. I'd love to show you around sometime. That's my car over there," he said with a nod, "cherry, ain't it? Pretty much built it up from no more than a frame."

"Very impressive. Maybe I'll take you up on that sometime." Danny responded with her enchanting smile.

"Hey, listen," Soda began, "We get off soon and are heading over to my place. Most of our friends just kind of hang out there some nights. If you got nothing else to do, you can come over, Jesse too."

"Awesome!" Jesse shouted. "Can we Danny? Please? They're so cool!"

I laughed at the kid's instant admiration of us in less than 2 days of knowing any of us.

"Fine," Danny gave in, "we'd love to."

"Great," Soda replied, "Steve, why don't you tell Buck we're splitting."

"This was your idea, Soda," Steve answered, staring at Danny, "why don't you go in and tell him?"

"Because you're closer to the door" Soda said, clenching his teeth behind a smile.

"Why doesn't the kid do it?" Steve suggested, gesturing at me.

"Yeah, Pony, go in and tell Buck for us."

"But –"

"Just do it." Steve ordered.

I turned around, dragging my feet. By the time I came back out, Steve and Soda were in the car, laughing and talking with Danny.

At home, the guys were stumbling over each other to be close to Danny. Darry and I seemed to be the only ones keeping our cools. I liked her and all, but hadn't the slightest clue of what to say or do. Darry was too proud to act like a young schoolboy, drooling all over at the sight of this girl. The entire night I tried to figure out why we all liked her. Each guy had his own way of showing off. Two-Bit tried harder than ever to tell jokes and make her laugh. Soda, was well, Soda. His looks did all the talking for him. Steve continued to talk himself up like some big shot, telling her everything from stories about his car to his past wins in fights. I'm not even sure Danny noticed what was happening. She simply would laugh and jab right back at Two-Bit and would challenge Steve on every bluff he would make. Finally, Danny challenged Steve to a thumb war. We all laughed at the suggestion and immediately Jesse jumped to the defense of his older sister.

"What are you, chicken?" He asked, imitating a chicken in front of Steve.

"No way am I chicken! But a thumb war, that stuff is for kids. Why not an arm wrestle? I beat Soda every time, just ask him."

Danny rolled up her sleeve to reveal various scars decorating her upper arm, "This is what I got away with in the car wreck. Broke my arm in 3 places and tore a couple muscles. Doctors say it'll never be the same again. I can't even finish one of my poems without it getting a little sore. Better off than everyone else though, I suppose. So, come on, like he said, are you chicken? Let's do this."

I found it odd how okay Danny seemed with well, everything. When I talked about the day my parents' died, it still ate me up inside. If a group of drunk Socs came knocking at my door late at night I would do a little more than the simple flinch Danny showed last night. As I watched her thumb wrestle with Steve, I suddenly realized why we all liked her so much. She was one of us. A Soc girl would have never done that, let alone come to our house to hang out with a bunch of greaser guys. On the other hand, a typical greaser girl would be loving the attention from the boys and would be all over Steve, and not in the way of thumb wrestling.

After that, Danny came over regularly. She would talk and goof around with all of us, like she was one of the guys, but also knew when to be serious. A few times Two-Bit's jokes got too dirty for Danny's taste and she locked eyes with him, informing him that she didn't want her little brother hearing such garbage. If it had been any other person, Two-Bit would have simply laughed at and ignored them. But for Danny, he apologized and kept his trap shut. If Jesse or I had homework she'd insist that she did not come over until it was finished. Tim and Curly Shepherd even stopped by one night when she was over. They told their routine dirty jokes at first and both tried to make Danny feel uncomfortable. She simply stood in front of them and told them that if she had wanted to hear trash, she would have asked. I have to clarify something here though. Danny wasn't mean, or uppity like a Soc girl, or tried to act like our mother. She was, as Soda said, something else. Within a month, she became like part of the family. Tim would come by and ask for Slingshot and the Sergeant. I would help Jesse with his spelling for school. Darry could make a mean chocolate cake, but not much else, so Danny would teach him recipes her mom had taught her and began to cook a lot of out dinners. Danny loved to learn new things so Steve and Soda would bring her over to the DX and teach her about cars. They were shocked when she was willing to get dirty and grease covered in the process as most girls, Soc or Greaser, hated it. It wasn't long until we all had her schedule down in memory and would find ways to accidently bump into her. During the week, she would walk Jesse to school and then head to work at a local convenience store as a clerk, a job she got through an old friend of her mom's. She had Jesse walk straight there after school and he would sit outside on a bench doing homework or playing with some jacks or small trinket from the store for an hour or so until Danny was finished. The two would then walk home, or to our place if one of happened to drop by the store and invite her, which occurred frequently. On weekends she would sometimes pick up shifts at a nearby beauty parlor sweeping the floors and stuff like that. During those, Jesse would, again, wait around outside, always in her sight. On Sundays, Danny made it a point to attend church. The two each had one nice outfit and would wear it that day. Danny's was a dark red dress that went to her knees and was decorated by a sole, small ribbon on the front. Jesse had dark colored pants and a collared white shirt Danny nearly had to wrestle him into wearing. The one other scheduled event in Danny's routine were her regular visits to the hospital to see her sister, Anna. One day, she took me and Soda with her. I'm not really sure why she did but part of me thinks it was her way of trusting us and letting us in. Despite the night we met Danny, she didn't like talking about herself or having people know a lot about her. She could tell jokes and goof around with anyone, but if it got personal or close to home, she would make some excuse to leave or not talk about it. Once when a friend of mine, Mark, came by to visit and commented on her parents' death and said he was sorry, Danny shrugged it off as no big deal and then cornered me later for telling Mark about her life. I still couldn't figure her out. Why had she trusted us from the start with her life story? How was she able to shrug off her parents' death like it was somebody else's family or something?

As I was trying to figure all of this out in my head, we met the end of a long hallway and stood in front of a door.

"Try not to bring up my parents or anything," Danny warned before she opened the door, "and Jesse, remember what I told you. She doesn't remember specific things from our last visits, just that we came. Try not to upset her like last time."

We all entered slowly behind Danny. I was almost afraid to look. I hated hospitals. I hated everything to do with them. A hospital was where they took mom and dad and we were told they were dead. A hospital was where Johnny fought for his life and failed. A hospital was where Dallas lost the only thing keeping him alive. I hated hospitals.

When I turned and looked though, I was surprised by what I saw. Anna was beautiful, just like her sister. She had no burns, or bandages, or casts. She wasn't disfigured as I had imagined except for a few scars on her face and a long one in the back of her head. Her hair flowed past her shoulders and far beyond and was a glossy brown shade. Her eyes were green, like Danny's, yet looked so much different. Danny's were hard, cold, but hiding kindness and fear. Anna's were like those of a mouse. They darted around and held themselves in a state of wonder. It wasn't long before we were all talking. I couldn't figure it out. She seemed completely normal. She thought Soda was handsome and that I was cute and that we'd both make perfect boyfriends for her little sister. She was real funny too. When she heard of Darryl, she grinned widely and said that she would take him. They would get married, and then Soda and Danny, and then I would find a girl and her younger sister would be with Jesse. Jesse stuck out his tongue at the idea of girls. When we told her about the other boys in our gang she quickly took back her statement and said that she wanted all of us. We all laughed pretty hard at that.

"And then we could –" Anna paused for a moment, her eyes searching, her mouth still open from talking, "who are you boys? And what are you doing in my room?"

She was beginning to panic and Danny had to hold her steady.

"It's okay, Anna. It's me, Danny, your sister, I'm here. Jesse's here too. These boys are friends. They're our friends. You're fine."

"They're friends?"

"Yes, Anna, they're friends. We were all just talking."

"We were talking? I was talking? I don't -" At this point she began sobbing, "I don't remember them. I'm sorry. I want to remember them. Please, Danny, take me home. I want to go home. I want to remember. Please, take me home."

By now, a nurse was peeling Anna off of Danny and advising us to leave.

"But we've only been here ten minutes" Jesse whined as Danny pushed him out the door.

Danny shut the door behind her and rubbed Jesse's shoulder, "I'm sorry about that. It's different every time. Sometimes she will be clear and well, Anna, the whole time we are there, and other times, it's like we can't even get through to her."

Soda and I both told her not to apologize and offered to come back with her anytime. On the way home I couldn't help but think about what Anna had said. Sure, I liked Danny, I liked her a lot, but I also saw the way Sodapop looked at her and listened to the way he talked about her. As we walked, he was actually nervous, my brother, the smoothest boy in the neighborhood when it came to picking up girls, was nervous. I walked alongside Jesse, behind Danny and Sodapop to give them some time to talk. Every minute or so, Soda would wipe his sweaty palms on his jeans and then run his fingers through his hair. He sure did clear his throat a lot too, and most of the time he wasn't even talking. He would just do it out of the blue. We were almost to Danny's house and I sensed they needed some proper time alone.

"Hey guys, why don't I go ahead and take Jesse inside and work on those spelling test words with him? It's a beautiful night. You guys can enjoy it without us kids slowin' you down."

I hated being called a kid and hated myself for saying it¸ but this was for Soda. Apparently Jesse didn't like it either because he cocked an eyebrow and declared that he was not a 'kid'. Amidst Jesse's protest, I saw a smile cover Soda's face. He deserved a girl like Danny, especially after Sandy…

There were those eyes again. A moment ago, Danny had been laughing at one of Soda's jokes and they had been lit up. Now they were stern and unwavering.

"No," She said quickly, "I'm sorry. Nothin' personal or anything, but Jesse doesn't leave my sight except for school." She turned to Soda, eyes shifting again. "Listen, thanks for coming tonight, and for walking us home. I really appreciate it, and because I do, I will answer the question you have been trying to ask me for 3 blocks now."

"Question?" Soda asked, trying to sound innocent, boy was he good at it, even when he was nervous, "What are you – I wasn't –"

"You were," Danny interrupted, "and yes. I would love to. Anytime. It's Monday, right? Thursdays I work at night so I'm free while Jesse's at school. Why don't I stop by the DX for your lunch break?"

Soda was shocked into silence at her forwardness. Girls were usually overly flirty and overly shy with him. He tried to hide his wide grin, but couldn't, "Sounds great. I'll see you then."

"See you then. Goodnight Soda." She turned to go inside and I cleared my throat. "Goodnight Ponyboy. Thank you too."

With that we parted ways and Soda and I quickened our pace to make it out of the Soc territory before dark.

Thursday seemed like weeks away to Soda. Before we would go to sleep, he would simply go on and on about Danny and their Thursday lunch date. All the guys were jealous and jokingly threatened to join the date. None of them would do it though. No one could hurt Soda¸ not really anyway. Sure, we all pulled pranks and stuff but this was different. Soda and I had a connection and I had picked up on it right away but by now the way he felt about Danny was written all over his face. We all knew what Sandy had did to him and how it had broke his heart. None of us wanted to be responsible for that happening again.

When Soda strolled up the porch steps that Thursday afternoon, Darry and I tore into the living room to hear all the details. At first, Soda played dumb and wouldn't tell us a thing. That was until Darryl put him in a loose head lock and told him to spill it. Soda laughed and began telling us everything. Danny had showed up, all dressed up and with two sack lunches. Soda had felt kind of bad considering Danny didn't have any money to spare on extra food, but gave in when she insisted.

"That's it?" I asked, "You two just, talked?"

"What were you expecting, dinner and a show in thirty minutes?" Soda questioned.

"This coming from the kid brother who used to start his mornings making out with the next door neighbor girl," Darry joked.

"It was different," Soda was beginning to get defensive. "_she's _different. Golly, you should have seen her. Comes there all done up nice, you know? When lunch is over, Steve and I were sort of a little behind, from well, uh, me talking all morning. The next thing I know, Danny's pulling her hair back in a ribbon and asking what she can help with. You should've seen all the grease on that nice skirt. Man, any other girl would have ran in the opposite direction but she just jumped in and got us done earlier than we have been in a long time."

"She's a greaser, alright," I said through a laugh.

"You hang on to this girl," Darry said in his normal serious tone, "you hang on to her tight."

"I plan on it, Darry. Told her we would pick her and Jesse up from work later."

"We?" Darry asked, "since when do you speak for the entire family?"

"You're the one who just said I got to hang on to her. What better way to prove to her I am her knight in shining armor by escorting her home with the help of two extra body guards?"

"You got the body guards thing right," Darry smiled, "but the knight in shining armor? I think you're just thinking of your shining hair." He ducked a swing from Soda and before long we were all on the floor wrestling and laughing. Even though Darry's elbow in my side and Soda's knee in my gut weren't the best feelings in the world, for a brief moment things started to look up. For a brief moment, I thought things were going to finally get better for at least one member of the cursed Curtis family. Boy, was I wrong.

We pulled up to the convenience store shortly after dark. Before Darry had the motor stopped running, a group of boys went bolting through the front entrance and away from us. Probably just some teenagers trying to steal cigarettes or something. The lights of the building were still all on, but it was eerily quiet. It was weird not seeing Jesse bouncing a ball, reading a comic, humming a song, or acting obnoxious and being told to settle down. When customers weren't around, Danny would sing to herself while cleaning or stocking shelves. There was no music today. Just silence. I didn't like it. I think we all could feel it because when got out of the truck, Darry warned us to stay close. From the door, we could see merchandise scattered on the floor. The bell rang as we entered and cut through the silence. We cautiously but hurriedly searched the aisles. Finally, we rounded a corner and there on the floor rested a slumped over body. Darryl cursed under his breath as I shook with fear and Sodapop stood there, motionless, a broken look on his face.


	2. Your Cheatin' Heart

Chapter 2: Your Cheatin' Heart

_Chapter 2 Summary: "But I have promises to keep,/ And miles to go before I sleep..." ~Robert Frost. Promises are tricky, especially when they are broken. Danny is heartbroken when Sodapop fails to keep his promise and puts Ponyboy in life threatening danger. _

_**Author Note: I know Sodapop may seem out of character in what happens and his actions/words but there is a reason for this that will be revealed in the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews so far, only 2 so far, so PLEASE R&R =) Like always, I don't own the Outsiders, etc.**_

The slumped body was leaned up against a shelf and unmoving. Soda slowly knelt down, "Danny", he whispered, as if he was afraid of waking her up from some sleep. Danny groaned and looked up at Soda. He grabbed her arms and helped pull her to her feet. We were all relieved for one that she was alive but also that she didn't look too beat up.

"What happened here?" Darry asked, down to business-like.

"I'll tell you, but I have to get Jesse first." Danny said, her full strength back.

Jesse. I had almost forgotten about him having been there. Danny led us to the bathroom where a chair was propped against the handle to seal it shut. Danny nearly threw the chair out of the way and flung open the door. Jesse had been pushing at the door with all his strength and nearly fell over when it opened, but Danny scooped him up in a tight hug.

"They didn't hurt you too bad, did they buddy?" She asked, letting him go.

"Nah," Jesse said scrapping his shoes on the tile, "they just got me by surprise is all. If that one guy hadn't come up behind me, I would've kicked the other in the – "

"Jesse!" Danny firmly interrupted. "I'm sorry to ask, but could you guys please help me clean this up? My shifts almost over and my boss will be back any minute. He'll flip if he sees the place like this"

"Just tell him what happened," I suggested.

"I can't," Danny responded too quickly.

"Why not?"

"I just can't okay?"

"What's going on Danny?" Soda asked worriedly, "Why can't you – "

"Because I'll get fired! That's why! Okay?"

"Fired?" Darry questioned suspiciously, "Just because you got jumped by some punks?"

"That ain't fair" I added.

"Well, life's not fair," Danny snapped, "so deal with it kid."

Soda moved closer to her and took her hand reassuringly, "Hey, it's okay. Just tell us what's going on, please. You're scaring me."

Danny let out a sigh. She grabbed a broom, dust pan, and garbage bag and handed one to each of us.

"Fine, I'll ya. But in mean time, your helping me clean."

As the five of us hurried to make the store spotless, Danny began retelling the events of the evening.

"It's been going on for awhile. Greasers will come in here to make moves on me. Socs will come to mess things up so I have to clean more and call me names. Some Soc guys came in earlier tonight, hassling me and hitting things off the shelves on purpose, all right in front of customers and my boss. When they left my boss pulled me aside. I thought for sure he was going to send me packing right then and there for causing disturbances to other customers.

'Look,' he began, 'your mother was a dear customer here, and a dear friend to me. I hired you on that basis. Maybe it was a mistake. I can't have hoods and punks coming in here every day, disrupting my business and driving away my customers. I'm trying to be nice here, Danny. I let your brother hang around as long as he doesn't cause trouble. I give you flexible hours due to your circumstances. I don't want to let you go but if this keeps up, I will have to. Find some way to tame your _friends _or find a new job.'

After that, he left. Told me he needed to run a few errands and would leave to store in my care for an hour or so. Well, turns out those no good Socs had been waiting around outside. When they saw him leave they came in and started calling me real foul names. One of them said that they would never buy something contaminated with greaser trash like me, and then spit at me. There were four of them, big kids too. I could take one or two of them, but not all four. I went for the door but was blocked by one of the boys holding Jesse by the arms and covering his mouth. 'I think this kid is so scared he has to go to the bathroom' I had said, 'what do you think, boys?' With that, two of them shoved Jesse into the bathroom and blocked the door. They told him, and me, if anyone screamed, they'd kill me. I didn't believe their bluff but before I could let out anything, they grabbed me and shoved me hard against the counter. 'My boss is coming back any second now.' I warned them. 'Besides, my boyfriend and his brothers are coming to pick me up. They should be here real soon'. One of the boys, he was obviously the leader, just smirked. 'Well then, I guess we'll just have to make this quick. Besides, I know all about your little relationship with that Curtis kid. Sodajerk or something? You two are a perfect match. What goes better with greaser trash, than more greaser trash? We'll be finished with you before they get here, don't worry darling.' I tried to fight as hard as I could but it was no use. They threw me on the floor. Suddenly, bright headlights lit up the windows and those four _tough guys _went running like a bunch of scared mice."

"Damn Socs," Soda muttered.

It wasn't like Soda to swear. Just like he never drank, he hardly swore either. Only when he was real upset or real angry. Right then, he was both.

"It's fine," Danny said with a fake smile, "I'm okay, Jesse's okay. As long as we can get this cleaned up and I can keep my job, everything will be fine. I'm used to it."

"But you shouldn't have to be used to it!" Soda exclaimed. "None of us should. It ain't right. It just ain't. Those Socs are gonna pay for this, Danny."

"And what exactly do you plan on doing, little buddy?" Darry questioned. "You gonna take all four of them on yourself?"

"I'll help!" Jesse shouted, going to stand by Soda's side. "Come on Soda, we can take them. No one messes with my big sister!"

"Alright, cool it Jesse James." Danny warned. "No one is paying for anything. I'll beat the tar out of anyone who comes near me or Jesse any day, but revenge is stupid. You fight back, they fight back. Pointless. Let's just go home, okay?"

We drove them home and no one talked about payback again.

After their first date, things really began to spark between Soda and Danny. They talked non-stop. Darry even had to take the phone away from Soda one night. They became so mushy that is upset my stomach. I didn't know which Sodapop I preferred. The one who made out with every girl in sight but then barely talked to them afterwards, or the one who obsessed over Danny, but never kissed her, at least not make out kissed her. After a month or so of them dating, I finally sat down with Soda and asked him why they weren't all over each other like most boys and girls I saw, especially because it was Soda. He was hesitant to share at first, but with the right look, I can get Soda to tell me anything.

"She's a Christian, Pony," He started, "and not like the rest of us who sometimes go to church but don't pay attention or go to pick up nice girls. She doesn't like Jesse cursing or anything like that. She doesn't drink, like me, so that's okay. We both just love to get drunk on plain old living. She's not super strict or anything. I mean, heck, she still hangs around all of us and has the attitude of a greaser. But um," He was hesitant again and getting nervous, "she won't, she won't go all the way, at least until marriage, she says."

"Wow, Soda." I didn't know what else to say really. "Do you think you're going to marry her?"

"Golly, Pony! I'm not thinking about that yet! We just started dating!"

"Well, do you love her?"

"Yeah, yeah, I think I do. I mean, it's early and everything, but, I don't know."

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, I already promised her."

"You what?"

"We talked about it and I promised her that I would wait and wouldn't push it."

"Gosh, do you think you can do it Soda?"

"What do you mean by that? Of course I can! It's no big deal, anyway. It's all different with Danny. We can just sit and talk for hours. Usually I would get bored with other girls. Heck, I can't even talk with Steve that much and he's my best buddy."

The two of us just sat on the porch for awhile. Soda was probably thinking more about Danny. I was thinking about her too. Man, was she ever hard to figure out. I couldn't help but think there was more from her past she was hiding from us. One minute she was snapping at me or acting tough with Steve, and the next she was giving Darry and Soda back massages after their long days at work and sharing writing ideas with me. I couldn't help but think there was more to Danny. I saw her as a sweet, caring girl who put on masks of toughness and calmness. She always acted cool, but I was beginning to think she was just scared.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the screen door screeching open and Darry's voice telling me it was getting late and I should go to bed. As I got up to go inside, Darry came out and took my place on the steps. I could sense they were going to have one of their "talks" and pretended to make walking noises, but stayed behind inside to listen. I wasn't a sneak or anything, just curious. They were silent for quite some time until Darry finally cleared his throat nervously.

"Listen, Soda, I heard you talking to Pony. I heard about you and Danny."

"Well, geez, Darry, what'd you go and do that for?" I could tell Soda was embarrassed. "Don't tell the guys, okay? They poke fun at me enough for not drinking."

"I hadn't planned on it. But Ponyboy asked a good question. Can you do it, Sodapop? This isn't a game or anything. You jump from girls like a frog on lily pads. Are you sure you're ready for this kind of commitment?"

"Whoa, whoa! Who said anything about commitment? We're not running away and getting married."

"I know that Soda, but you made a promise. Can you stick with it? Because if you can't, you need to tell her, before it's too late. She deserves that much."

With that he got up and came inside just as I ducked into the hallway and slipped into my bedroom. I threw the covers over my body just in time for Soda to open the door and plop down beside me. My eyes were closed and he assumed I was asleep. He lay on his side, fidgeting with his hands and mumbling the word 'commitment' over and over. As he drifted off to sleep I heard him murmur one final word, 'Sandy'.

I was worried about his decision and if he could go through with it or not, but it was my brother and I trusted and supported him. It was odd to think about really. Most girls were all over Soda, even fighting to get with him. Don't get me wrong, my brother isn't some trash that'll go all the way with anyone. But he also isn't afraid of make out sessions. I had always hated that. One time I had walked in on him and Sandy in our living room. Their faces were pressed against each other. Soda had one hand running through Sandy's hair and the other placed on her upper thing. I nearly puked as I cleared my throat and told Soda to put a sign on the door or something. He told me I was just jealous that I didn't have a beautiful girl like his Sandy and she blushed. I just shook my head firmly and plainly stated, "no siree Bob! I don't want a girlfriend if I have to do that stuff with her. Gross." They both had just laughed and warned me that I would grow up and see things differently. I couldn't have disagreed more at that time.

The worry got even worse when Soda and Danny started going on fewer dates. Soda kept having to work late or got more hours. That was good for our income, if it was true. Like I said, I trusted Soda, trusted him more than anyone else, but something was up. A girl that used to go to my school, Katherine, started hanging around the DX a lot. Lots of girls hung around the DX, well, hung around Soda at the DX, but Katherine was different. I saw them talking a lot and she would constantly put her hand on his shoulder. I thought maybe it was a girl's way of flirting or something, or that she needed the support after standing in high heels all the time. I like girls and everything now, but I still know jack about them. Rumors spread quickly and it didn't seem like Soda did much to stop them. I tried to confront him a couple times about it but he just told me I worried too much and then clammed up. Even my usual expressions that had never failed me before with getting him to share were useless. Finally, one day when the whole gang was hanging on our front porch, Danny came nearly running up. She stared directly at Soda, pushing past the rest of us without even a glance or word. She was pulling Jesse along by the hand, right close behind her as always. This time though, she seemed to be pulling extra hard.

"Jesse, go inside, now."

Something was definitely wrong. Her voice was different than I had ever heard it before and Jesse obeyed on the first command without hesitation, also different than I had ever seen before.

"Sodapop Curtis," she said fiercly, "we need to talk, now."

"Guys, could you give us a minute?" Soda asked nervously.

"No," Danny said, raising her arm for us to stop, "they can stay. After all, we're all family, right? Isn't that what you told me when we first met, huh? No, they can stay, I want them to."

I had never seen Danny like this. Danny was sarcastic, stubborn, and a little rough around the edges, sure, but she was genuinely sweet and kind. She only said mean things when they were absolutely necessary and very rarely used any sort of tone like this with us, especially Soda. She loved him. Her eyes were different too. Blazing, like when she would talk to her brother, but also, hurt. Beneath the bitter anger, inside the hard shell, Danny was sobbing.

"What did you think? I was stupid, that I wouldn't notice? I've heard the rumors and I've seen you two together."

Katherine. We all knew instantly that is who she was talking about because we all had been wanting to talk to him about it too.

"Tell me, Soda. Just tell me the truth. Did you two go all the way?"

Soda looked down at his shoes, over at us, and then back at Danny, "Yes."

I saw Danny's eyes light up with fire and felt her insides fall to pieces.

"How could you do this to me?" Danny asked, half pleading, half angry.

"I don't get it. What's the big deal? It was only one time, one night"

"The big deal? Maybe it's nothing to you or your buddies or society itself, but the big deal is that you made a promise to me. I gave you an out, Soda. I told you that if you couldn't handle it, to tell me straight off and we'd stay good friends, nothing more. From the minute I moved her I have had guys fighting to be with me and to go all the way with me. But I chose you. I chose you and was going to wait for you."

"Fine, I'm sorry. Let's just forget about this and go back to how we were."

"No, we can't Soda, I can't just forget and pretend nothing happened, maybe you can. I can easily forgive and forget but the problem is that you really aren't sorry. I can tell, Soda, and you're not sorry one bit for what you did. Maybe you didn't want to hurt me but you don't think you did anything wrong and you're not sorry and until you do and are, we can no longer be together."

"Well, fine! You have so many guys lined up at your door it should be no problem for you to move on."

"Is that what you think? That's what you think I would do? Then you don't know me very well Sodapop Curtis, you don't know me at all"

I caught the faint glimpse of a tear sliding down her cheek as Danny turned and hurriedly left the house.

"I don't get it" Sodapop said, turning to us, "what's the big deal? Come on guys, you're on my side right. Steve, Two-Bit? At least you can understand, right Tim? She couldn't expect me to actually go that whole time without anything."

"Maybe, but then you shouldn't have promised" Tim said, stepping forward. "Look kid, I'm no perfect boyfriend, but if I had that girl looking at me like she looks at you, loving me like that girl loves you, I would do anything for her. That one right there, that one you just let walk out the door, well she's one of a kind. She loves you no matter what. She puts up with all of us and a whole lot more. She doesn't put her hand out for money every five minutes like most broads and is loyal. You can't ask for anything better. That girl has been through hell, and you just pushed her in further." With that, he turned and headed out the door.

It was weird how Tim could actually be so smart and caring sometimes. If he saw Danny on the street as a stranger he would be a whole different person, talking dirty and trying to get up real close to her. But he cared about Danny something fierce, like a kid sister, we all did. As the rest of the gang simply shook their heads and went their separate ways, I took a moment to examine my older brother. I knew he was wild and loved girls, but I also knew that he loved Danny, more than anything. I couldn't figure it out.

After that, Soda started hanging out with Katherine more and more. He even brought her over the house a few times. I didn't like her. It wasn't that she was bad person or anything, she just wasn't Danny. Danny was cool with me hanging around Soda sometimes when they went out, Katherine couldn't stand it. She would gesture to Soda if I asked to tag along and Soda would make up some reason why it had to be only the two of them. Katherine wouldn't hang with the gang either. She called herself a "lone wolf" and got into more trouble than almost Tim. Her appearance was nothing like Danny's either. Her eyes were a hard, cold green and were covered in black lines and dark shades of purple and blue. Her lips were always stained a deep crimson, to the point I was beginning to think they were like that when she was born. Her leather skirts and pants were always too tight and paired with heels the color that matched her lips. Her shirts rarely covered her stomach and did hide not much else. Finally, while Darry was out working and I was stuck at home, Soda took me to The Dingo with him and Katherine. She was not happy, but I didn't mind. When we got there, my stomach nearly dropped to my feet and I wanted to turn around and run.

"Well, look who it is, and with your new girlfriend? How sweet." Danny stood up straight in the booth and didn't once look at Katherine. "Hi, Ponyboy" She said, turning to me with a genuine smile. It amazed me how quickly she could change her tone and mood and quickly remembered how much I admired and missed her.

"You said you had a line of guys at your door" Soda started defensively, "didn't realize you would pick an ape face like this to be your boyfriend".

Soda had addressed the fact that I was trying to avoid, the fact that had made me want to run. Danny was sharing a booth with a Soc. I readied myself for the boy to jump up at Soda for the insult and was willing to back my brother up at any second. When he didn't, I nearly scratched my head.

"Jason isn't my boyfriend. He's my friend."

"He's a Soc!" Soda hollered, "His mind is probably only on one thing."

"Oh, because you would know all about that, wouldn't you, Sodapop Curtis? Jason isn't a Soc, he's a nice guy who didn't bail on me when I lost my step-father's money and who doesn't hurt me."

The words "hurt me" visibly stung Soda and I was hoping on the inside he would apologize right then and there, that he'd get down on his knees and beg Danny to come back to him. I frowned when he simply grabbed Katherine's hand and walked out the door. I gave Danny a long, sad look and she returned it. Suddenly, I remembered Katherine's car and that they were my ride home and turned to follow them. I reached the parking lot and searched for the yellow Mustang everywhere. When I couldn't find it, I ran back through the door to find Danny and the Soc's booth empty. I searched my mind for a solution and remembered the payphone by the bathrooms but also remembered my empty pockets. I sighed and returned outside to begin the lonely walk home. I wasn't exactly thrilled to risk my life walking by myself but wasn't about to sit at The Dingo waiting for Sodapop to realize his mistake or end up waiting until night and still having to walk home, but in the dark. I smoothed my hair back and shoved my hands in my jean pockets, trying to look tough as I passed by cars of Greasers and Socs. I thought I was in the clear when I was only steps away from my neighborhood. My house was still a slight walk away and dusk was setting in, but getting jumped in your own neighborhood is unlikely and you have your gang right there to bail you out if it does happen. I breathed a relieved sigh a minute too soon and heard the rev of an engine behind me and felt the warm glow of headlights on my back. The cherry colored Mustang roared passed me, so close I had to duck to one side. I had been in the situation enough times to know what would happen next and that running was useless. I was fast and could reach my home in record time if I really wanted to, but wasn't about to succeed in beating a bunch of determined Socs in a tuff car like this one. I backed up as the three tall Socs stepped out of the vehicle.

"Hey guys, you're out of your territory, this is my neighborhood, you better beat it," I said shakily but trying to hide it and sound tough.

"Your neighborhood?" One of the boys who I guessed at 17 or 18 laughed, "they must not like you too much, letting you walk all alone like this. You got to be more careful, Greaser, you could get hurt."

"I'll scream," I warned, "I'll scream and my gang will all come running."

"No," a different boy interrupted, "we won't give you the chance. Get him!"

He was right. Before I could react, let alone scream, I realized they had slowly circled around me and suddenly tackled me to the ground. One of the boys clamped his hand over my mouth as I felt fists pound against my face and body. I winced as a shoe collided with my ribs, and then my legs, again and again. I'm not going to be able to walk again, I thought. This Soc is going to beat my legs so bad I'm not ever going to walk again. At least, that is what it felt like. I could already feel blood running down my face and mixing in my hair. Everywhere hurt, but oddly, I wasn't afraid. I think I was becoming numb to these attacks so much that they didn't surprise or scare me anymore. The boys hand slipped to my chin and I quickly bit it as hard as my jaw would allow and let out a deafening scream for help. The boy gave me a blow to the chin and placed his hand back over my mouth, muffling my screams. I turned my head and could see my friends' houses less than a mile away. I imagined the guys just sitting around inside one of them, goofing off, not ever noticing me getting pummeled in their backyard. A fist collided with my face, forcing it to the other side and I could no longer see my neighborhood, I could no longer see hope. I was sure I was going to die. In that moment, I cussed out Katherine under my breath and imagined her and my brother cruising around, having completely forgotten about me. I thought at least maybe Soda would dump her once he realized she was the cause of my death. Another slam to the ribs brought me back to reality and I suddenly heard one of the Soc's voices. It was muffled and I realized there was blood in my ears, along with the ringing.

"Car's coming! Let's beat it!"

The three jumped up and retreated into their car, flying off in the opposite direction of my neighborhood. Before I could see what they were running from, my head throbbed and the sky along with everything around me went black.


	3. The Not So Great Pretender

**A/N: So I decided to make the rest of the chapters shorter so **** I can update more often. Thanks for the reviews! What happens after Pony gets jumped and will Soda ever change back to his old self?**

**R&R ~ PLEASE AND THANK YOU ~ R&R**

**Chapter 3: The "Not So" Great Pretender**

I woke up, what seemed like a lifetime later, on our couch. I wasn't dead. I sighed in relief and then winced, suddenly feeling all of the pain in a tidal wave. Darry was sitting at my side, behind him stood someone else I couldn't quite make out yet, my eyes still adjusting to being awake and the pain. It was Soda. It had to be. Soda was always there for me when I needed him, always. I rubbed my eyelids and the figure came into focus. It was Tim. _Where is Soda? Probably getting me water or something_, I thought. He had to be there.

"Morning sunshine" Tim said, stepping forward so he was at my side, next to Darry.

"What? How long was I out?" I asked groggily.

"All night," Darry answered. "You were out cold little buddy."

"What happened? I thought I was done for."

"I thought you were too when I found you, kid" Tim said with unusual concern. "Was on my way to stop by here to see Darryl after he got back from his job when I drove past a group of those no good Socs beating the tar out of you. Scared them off by just driving up, punks."

"Where's Soda?" I asked, barely hearing Tim.

"What?" Tim asked playfully, "No thanks for saving my life?"

"Sorry, Tim. Thanks a lot, really. But, where's Soda?"

"Never came back last night. It's not like him. Didn't call or anything. Thought maybe you were with him and something happened when you got jumped. I've been up calling the gang all night. You weren't with him?"

"No" I answered, "I walked home alone."

"What is with you Pony? Don't you ever learn?"

"Darry, Soda left me at the Dingo and I had no money to call. It wasn't my fault." As I spoke, Soda stepped sleepily through the door and I turned to him in disgust, "it's his."

"Well," Tim started, sensing the tension in the moment of silence, "I can see this is a family thing so I'm going to split."

Once he was gone, Darry shot up from his seat, "Where the hell have you been?"

"I was out with Katherine. I stayed at her place and forgot to call. It just got so late and we were having such a good time together it slipped my mind." Finally, he noticed me. "Hey, Pony, what happened to you? Are you okay?" I wouldn't answer, let alone look at him.

"I'm glad you two were having such a good time together," Darry said sarcastically. "In all your fun, did you happen to forget about something, like maybe your kid brother?"

"Look, Darry, I'm sorry. By the time I realized he wasn't with us and went back for him, he was gone. Figured he'd hitched a ride with someone there or something. Come on, he's old enough to take care of himself."

"Not when he's outnumbered three-to-one by a bunch of Socs! We were lucky Tim came along when we did or we'd be having this argument at Pony's funeral! He's your brother and you almost got him killed for some girl you barely know! What is wrong with you lately boy? Sure, you used to forget your shoes or burn food, but you've never done anything this stupid or dangerous. What's going on?"

"I didn't mean too, really. Pony knows I would never do something like that on purpose. You know I'd never want you to get hurt, right Ponyboy?"

When he went to kneel beside me, I wouldn't look at him. I tried to stand up to walk away, but was still in a great deal of pain and resorted to turning over on my side, away from Soda. He tried again to apologize and talk to me, but I just buried myself deeper into the couch. For the first time, I was mad at Soda, really mad. Sure, we fought when we were young about who took the last cookie or who got to play with what toy but usually Soda would end up pulling the hidden cookie out of his hiding place and giving me half or letting me have a turn with a toy first. We were brothers, closer than most too. We did everything we could for each other and always looked out for each other. Just that last night I had been ready to pounce on the Soc with Danny if he made a move for my brother. Not five minutes later did he leave me, alone and forgotten. I could sense one of my brothers had made a motion for the other to follow them out onto the porch. Don't know why, I could still hear them clear as day.

"How bad is he?" Soda asked nervously once outside.

"He won't have to the hospital thanks to Tim. Looks like he might've bruised a rib or two but that'll heal in time. The blows to the head did the worst damage. He was out like a light all night long. What the hell were you thinking Soda? You love Ponyboy, this isn't like you. You've changed and everyone around you can see it. Damn it, your own brother won't even look at you! What's gotten into you lately? First doing what you did to Danny, hooking up with Katherine, staying out later and later, and now this? Talk to me, man! No, Sodapop Curtis, don't you walk away from me! Look at me and talk to me! Damn it kid, you're going to get yourself thrown in a boy's home or maybe even the cooler!"

"Leave me alone!" Soda hollered, almost more upset than angry, "I said I was sorry didn't I? It won't happen again. Now, just leave me alone!" With that, I heard his footsteps hurry down the steps and across the yard.

_Good_, I thought to myself. I was glad he was gone. It sickened me that I was, but I couldn't help it. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, furious at Soda all the more.

When I awoke next and rolled over, Sodapop was leaning over me. For a moment I was happy to see him, as I normally was. He was sitting beside me, right where Darry had been. _Darry_. Darry had been there for me, Soda had left me. My grin quickly disappeared and Soda instantly noticed. Before either of us could say a word, the door opened and Soda jumped to his feet. Whoever had come in was silent, as was my brother. I was lying down so I couldn't see who it was yet. I tried to strain my body to turn, but didn't need to.

"I thought you'd be at work" The visitor broke the silence, "I just came by to see Ponyboy."

"I'm leaving for work in a few, you can see him then." Soda tried to sound cold, but it didn't work too well. It wasn't in his nature to act how he was and I was beginning to think he couldn't hold up the mask much longer.

"I'll just wait outside"

Soda nodded and turned back to me. I was furious with him. I wanted to not speak to him for days, make sure he knew I was ticked and that he was acting stupid. But I couldn't. I loved Soda too much and I hated seeing him like this. I pushed down my anger and managed to muster up a bit of compassion in my demanding question.

"Soda, what is going on?"

I could see in his eyes. They were searching. Searching for answers to one heck of a loaded question. Searching for an excuse, a lie. Searching for the coldness and walls he had been able to put up since breaking it off with Danny. I saw a flicker of toughness for a moment but he wasn't able to hold it.

"Soda, maybe you can get away with that with Darry or the gang, but not with me. I don't buy this attitude. Something's up and you're not tellin'. You're just, you're not my brother anymore."

The last words came out harsher than I had intended, but were true. They seemed to cut into my brother like a knife and any hint of his tough guy walls crumbled.

"Baby, you just couldn't understand."

"Well then, help me to. All my life you taught me how to understand girls, Socs, cars, and Darry. I think I can handle whatever this is."

"It's Sandy" Soda whispered after a minute of hesitation.

"What? Is she back? Soda, what happened?"

My questions fired off too rapidly and he put up a hand for me to slow down.

"No, nothing like that Pony. Ponyboy, you know I loved Sandy, you knew better than even Steve because Steve doesn't understand love the way you dig it. I was going to marry that girl and she just ended up being some two-timing-no-good-broad like the rest. That ripped me apart, Pone, ripped me apart real good. I've always tried not to show that kind of stuff. I mean, you and Darry got enough problems of your own. To Sandy, to the girl I loved more than anything, I was just some good-looking greaser piece of trash that she could toy with.  
You don't know what that feels like. I don't think I can handle something like that again. I guess I just got scared with everyone talking to me about commitment and marriage and stuff with Danny."

"Soda, in all this mess, did ya ever stop and think that you were doing to Danny, what Sandy had done to you?"

With that sentence the knife went even deeper into Soda. He stared blankly for a second and then put his head in his hands. He was trying to hide it but I could tell, Soda was crying. I smiled a bit. I wasn't happy that my brother was upset, just that he was back. Sure, it wasn't the usual happy-go-lucky, 13 year old trapped in a 17 year old body, but it was him alright. My sensitive, loving brother had found his way back and I was glad.


	4. At Last

**A/N: THIS IS THE REAL CHAPTER FOUR! Sorry guys, I uploaded the Chapter 4 of another fanfic of mine called "A Lost Charge", a _Charmed _fanfic. This is the real chapter 4 for "A Change is Gonna Come"**

**R and R please and thanks**

**Chapter Four: At Last**

"Oh, Pony, what am I supposed to do? I blew it big time."

"Soda," I began reassuringly, surprised at how quickly my anger had faded, "you remember that time when Steve and Evie got in that huge fight? He had gotten angry and shoved her. They didn't talk for weeks but finally stubborn ol' Steve came to his thick headed senses and apologized. They're still together. Not saying they're the poster couple to follow, but you dig big brother?"

He nodded quietly.

"And hey," I added with a smile, "I forgave you for letting me get the tar beat outta me, didn't I?"

He looked up, hopeful, "You forgive me?"

"Of course I do Sodapop. Who could stay mad at you? Now go out there and talk to her."

"Geez kid," Soda said, finally grinning, "with how much you don't use your head, you sure can be pretty smart sometimes."

I took a swing at him but was still pretty weak and Soda was easily able to dodge it without a problem. We were both laughing then. Soda's full, whole-hearted laughter drowned out my weak gasps of chuckles. I didn't mind it though. I had missed my brother's laugh. Without warning he tightly grasped the hand with which I had tried to deck him. We both were silent and simply looked at each other, hands clenched firmly together. I nodded towards the door and Soda picked up the cue. With a labored sigh, he stood and left the house, meeting Danny in the front yard.

I was silently hoping they would go on the porch so I could listen in. I finally figured I wasn't going to hear anything when Soda gave a loud yell of "goodbye" to me. I had almost forgotten about him having work, of course, he was usually late anyway. So much happened at a time around here that I sometimes forgot about everyday life.

_Life. School. Great. _

I rolled my eyes with a heavy groan. I had missed more school today and probably would not be able to go back for a few days at least. Track was out of the question and I was beginning to think me and track were not meant to be.

My thoughts were interrupted by the screen door opening and a girl's voice quietly saying my name.

"Hey Danny" I answered, trying to hide how overly joyful I was to see her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like a bunch of Socs played dog pile with me, but I'll live, no sweat."

"Well, that's good." She said with a tender laugh.

She was in a good mood. _Yes! That's a good sign, _I thought. Danny, even though I had liked her for awhile, had become like a big sister and I imagined her and Sodapop were perfect for each other. Not like Steve and Evie perfect where they are both so stubborn and competitive and butt heads so much they couldn't get along with anyone else. Soda and Danny were like mom and dad perfect. Good relationships were difficult to find in our sort of lives. Girls wanted too much money or slept around. Guys were too bossy or only thought of going all the way. Most of my friends' parents' were separated or abusive to each other, and them. Dads drank too much. Moms spent too much. If it wasn't for my parents' relationship, I would've thought there were no successful existing couples as a kid.

"So, um," I started, not really knowing what to say or how to say it. I was only fourteen and didn't know much about relationships except for what I just mentioned, let alone how to talk about them.

"Uh, did you guys, I mean, did you and Soda, um, talk?"

Danny smiled at my youthfulness.

"Yes, we did. I'm told I have you to thank for that."

I blushed.

"Well, thank you. He told me everything he told you. I, uh, I didn't know about Sandy."

"Really?" I was shocked. Danny and Soda had talked non-stop about everything.

"I know. We talked about a lot" she said, echoing my thoughts, "but he just wasn't ready to talk about her I guess."

"So, well," I was dying to know but didn't know how to ask, "are you guys getting back together?" I suddenly exploded the question at her.

"Hold your horses, Pony." She always loved saying that to me every chance she got. "We just talked. He was really sorry and meant it and I will forgive him in time, but that's just it, in time. I still love your brother very much, but it is going to take awhile for me to trust him again.

"But you'll be coming over again?"

I wanted to kick myself for sounding so much like a little kid.

"Yes," she replied with a laugh, "I will."

"Good."

"Well, I got to get back to work now. Soda said that Darry called Two-Bit to come here and take care of you if you needed help with anything."

I thanked her and she headed out. I admired the way she told me Two-Bit was coming over. When Darry said things like that, he made me feel like a helpless baby. Danny just declared it, matter-of-fact like, as if it was no big deal.

Two-Bit stumbled in a couple hours later; late and drunk, as usual.

"Two-Bit," I said, rolling my eyes, "It's not even noon yet."

"Oh, come on, kid. It's a celebration!"

_Now what? _To Two-Bit, getting new shoelaces was cause to celebrate with alcohol.'

"Well, that you're alive of course! And, that you're brother finally came to his senses and dumped that Katherine broad. Yikes. Now that is one greasy girl. You think she would go for me?"

Same old Two-Bit. I was glad things were starting to get back to normal, despite all the pain I was in. I just hoped it'd stay like that now. It had to. I just hoped.


	5. For the Love of Money

**NO Reviews? *tear* please, I know you're reading, I can see it in my "traffic", please review to make sure I know you didn't just read the first sentence, thought it stunk, and clicked away...thanks**

**Chapter 5: For the Love of Money**

When I finally got back to school there was a not-so-good surprise waiting for me. Randy filled me in on the way to first period. Apparently, the local school system or something had their budgets cut for some reason. All the students were now going to be charged more for books and things like that. I groaned as Randy handed me my slip. We couldn't afford anything more than we were already spending at home. I gave a slight sigh when I discovered I already owned a few of the reading books required. But the new science lab fees were not tucked away in any of my bookshelves. Darry already worked two jobs night and day and Soda was full-time. This was not going to go over well tonight.

"This is ridiculous!" Darry cried out. "They can't charge us for all of this out of the blue like this! We've barely making ends meet as it is and the people who came up with this are probably swimming in loot. Ponyboy, I honestly don't know what to do."

"I could get a job." I piped up without even thinking.

"It would help out, but no way. You need to focus on your grades. You're all this family has left who can go somewhere in life."

"Darry, don't say that."

"It's true, kid. It's a nice offer buddy, but the answer is no."

"Oh, come on Dar, just a few hours, mostly weekends. Randy says that they're looking for part-time help at the bowling lanes."

"Let him do it Dar," Soda chimed in. I loved it when he took my side. "He's not a kid and you've seen his grades. He can handle it."

After several more protest from my eldest brother, Darry finally gave in, but warned that I'd have to promise to quit the second my grades started to slip, even a little. I promised and suddenly realized there was another heated, similar conversation going on in the front yard.

"Jesse, I just don't know. You already needed new sneakers for gym and now this?"

She stopped when she noticed us all watching the conversation. Darry waved the slip of paper I had given him.

"So, got your school bill too I see?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, holding up her own paper, "can you believe this?"

It was almost amazing really. Watching Darry and Danny's exchange was like watching two parents. I sometimes forgot how mature they were and how fast they both were forced to grow up.

Jesse quickly ran off to chase a wandering rabbit and Danny and Soda leaned in for a quick "hello" kiss. Usually, that sort of thing grossed me out, but I just grinned and was happy to see them together, even if it was a tad hesitant and awkward compared to their normal lip locks.

Danny hollered for Jesse to stay inside the fenced area and proceeded to ask the rest of us if we could go inside to talk.

Once inside, Danny let her cheery attitude melt and sank into a chair in the kitchen. We all sensed something was up and guessed she had been faking it for Jesse. Darry offered her something to drink, but she declined. Soda plopped down next to her and took her hand.

"What is it, Danny?" He asked what we all desired to.

"It's Jack." Danny finally whispered.

"Is he sick?" I quickly asked. I had grown pretty fond of Jesse's four-legged best friend.

"No, nothing like that." Danny replied but I wasn't reassured.

She pulled some papers out of a bag and slid them across the small table to Darry.

"I don't normally let anyone in really about my personal life, but you've been doing this longer than me, and I'm out of options."

Darry scanned over the sheets in front of him with a frown, "This is everything?"

"Yeah. Monthly income from both jobs, Jesse's school expenses, food, electricity, the basics. And then there's –" She paused as Darry found the bottom of the page.

"I thought, wait, he can't. He can't do that!"

"He is." Danny confirmed with a heavy sigh.

By then, Soda and I were jumping on the edge of our seats with curiosity.

"Then there's really nothing you can do about it. He has full rights to do this it appears. I'm so sorry Danny. But she's not legally his and she is over 18."

"Danny," Soda finally cut in, "what is it? What's going on?"

"David's uncle is no longer paying my sister's medical bills. He said that he wasn't going to support us anymore if we keep 'associating ourselves with greaser trash'. Thank God my parents paid off the house in full or we'd lose that too. One of the girls at the beauty shop just went to college, lucky her, so I can pick up more hours there, but I'm still going to be just shy of what I need. I've looked over everything and cut everything I could, except one thing." She trailed off and looked up at Darry who I could tell already knew. Suddenly, it all clicked.

"Oh no, Danny" I started, "not Jack."

Sodapop gave an expression of understanding.

"No," Soda whispered, "what about that Soc kid? I ain't that smart with legal stuff but, I mean, didn't you get any money from him, for, well, the accident?"

"We did. David and his uncle took it all."

"Oh Danny," He added, "what about Jesse? He loves that dog more than anything?"

"I know, believe me. But with his food, treats, toys, vet bills, I just can't keep doing it. I just, I don't know how to break it to him. He's not going to take it well and I'd rather you guys be here in case he tries to run away or something. It wouldn't be the first time. You are all like big brothers to him. It'd mean a lot to me, really."

We all agreed of course and Danny called Jesse inside. It took her awhile to calm him down from playing, but he finally sat still. The news seemed to drop on Jesse like a large weight. He was slouched for a minute, I mean, really slouched. Then, suddenly, he leapt from his seat and screamed in protest. He started to run for the door but Soda and I caught him by the arms.

"You can't! I won't let you! I'll run away with him! I will!"

Danny was usually firm with Jesse and would've popped him in the mouth for threatening something like that. This time though, she just sat there, almost lifeless, as she knew she was ripping her little brother's heart out.

"Remember when we first got him, Jesse?" Danny asked, trying to calm him. "Dad had rescued him. He had been abandon, just left out on the streets when born. He was just a puppy and you were just a little kid but you held him in your arms and promised to take real good care of him. You promised him that he'd always have a good home. He can't have that with us. You know that."

Droplets of water were rolling down Jesse's face like rain on a window. He wiped them away quickly so we wouldn't see. We did.

Jesse apparently sobbed that entire night, clutching Jack tight like a pillow. Danny had cried hard too. She wept for her brother and for losing Jack and for Anna, alone in the hospital.

We snuck Jack into the clinic the next day with the help of Steve, distracting the front desk woman with his famous charm. Even though she wouldn't remember, Danny wanted to let Anna see him one last time. The oldest sister cried and hugged both Jesse and Jack close. Steve snuck the dog back out and we all said our goodbyes to Anna.

Soda went with Danny afterwards to take Jack to the local pound. Jesse refused to come with inside. They returned not much later, the three of them silent most of the rest of the evening. Danny took Jesse home early that night after the gang's unsuccessful attempts at cheering him up.

It was the weekend finally and I was getting ready for my first shift at the bowling alley. I had a shift bright an early because it was my job to clean the place up before it opened for business. Some big rich family was throwing their daughter a birthday party there that day and the owner wanted the place to look flawless, hence the sunrise shift. I wasn't thrilled about the early rising, but sucked it up for my family.

I was pulling a shirt over my freshly showered head when a loud knocking came at the door. I glanced over at the clock on the wall and scratched my head with who would be here so early. Steve wasn't due to pick up Soda for another hour or so and Two-Bit refused to believe in a time existing before 10AM. As I was finishing my thought and stepping out of the bathroom, the pounding sounded again, this time louder and longer.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." I mumbled, half asleep.

The door swung open just before I reached it and Danny stood in the doorway. She looked like a mess. Her hair was in an unkempt ponytail and she showed no signs of makeup or sleep. Before I could even open my mouth to comment or ask why she was at our door so early, she pushed past me abruptly.

"Where's Soda? And, Darry?"

"They're asleep. Darry should be getting up soon."

As if on cue, Darry entered the room in his grubby clothes, ready for an early start on a friend's roof.

"What's going on? Danny, what are you doing here?"

"Somebody go wake Soda up, now." Danny commanded.

"Why?" I questioned, "What –"

Danny's request was fulfilled as Soda groggily appeared, hair tangled and clad only in a pair of jeans.

We all kept a pair of jeans right by our bed. With everything that happened around our house, we needed to be ready to be up and sometimes running in seconds. Darry made up the rule after a social worker had walked in on Sodapop in his underwear in the kitchen and Darry had come out of the shower with only a small towel while Danny was over one morning.

Soda scratched his head sleepily and then became attentive and worried once he laid eyes on Danny.

"Danny, what are you doing here?"

She paused for a moment and looked from one of us to the next until she had locked eyes with all of us. After taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth.

"Jesse's missing."


	6. Runaway

**A/N: Ok like ONE review...(insert sad face here) R and R please to keep it going!**

**Chaper 6: Runaway**

I think I could feel the collective gasp all of us breathed in at the same moment. The moment in which we learned of Jesse, little and young Jesse's disappearance. Danny was doing her best to remain sane. She informed us that he had run away before but never during the night. A few times he made it to a bus stop or something, but most of the time he had turned back before getting to the end of the street. This was different and it scared Danny something fierce, even if she refused to show it.

"What happened?" Soda was the first to speak.

"I went in to check on him in the middle of the night and he wasn't in his room, or the house, or the yard."

"Did you call the police?" Soda questioned, trying to get Danny to sit down. She motioned for him to stop.

"Of course, but I know the drill. It doesn't do any good. It hasn't been 24 hours since he was last seen, so technically, 'there is nothing they can do'" She mimicked the voice of the policeman she had spoken with earlier.

"Have you looked anywhere?" Darry asked soothingly.

"Everywhere. The school, the parks, the pound, bus stops, everywhere. I've been up walking around town all night and morning."

"You should've come here right away." Darry said in a fatherly tone. "You shouldn't have been walking the streets alone at night."

"You think I don't know that?" She snapped, "I wasn't in my best frame of mind, you know. If you weren't paying attention, my little brother is missing! Oh, and to top it all off, it's my fault!" She collapsed on to the couch and put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay" Darry responded with only sympathy in his voice. "I think I know the feeling." He glanced over at me and our eyes met unsteadily. "I could've punched a hole through cement when I found Ponyboy was gone." I gave an unnoticeable shudder, thinking that he probably could have.

"What can we do?" Soda asked, sitting next to her.

"I, I don't know. I've searched everywhere I can think of."

"Well," Darry began, turning on his leadership mode, "we know this town like the back of our hands. We'll round up the guys and anyone else we can. Soda, call Steve and have him come over early. Take Danny and Ponyboy with you. Drop Pony off at the bowling alley for work. He can look for Jesse there. It's where Soda used to run, um, go as a kid when he didn't want to do homework." Soda gave Darry a playfully harsh look and stuck out his tongue goofily. I chuckled, despite the serious situation.

"Ponyboy, you ask every person that comes into that place today if they've seen a kid that looks like Jesse. It's a Saturday so it should be packed. Soda, get Buck to let you borrow a car off the lot."

"I don't think he will go for that. Last time I asked he had me work overtime that night just for thinking of it."

"That was because it was for a date. This is different. I know Buck, he will do it if he knows the situation. You and Danny take Jefferson to Maine. Check the movie house, drive in, everywhere. Have Steve take the North side, drive by the parks, the big yards with the playgrounds, but make sure he calls one of us if he finds him right away. We don't need him walking outside of his car in Soc territory by himself. I'll call Two-Bit and have him take the neighborhood and the Shepherd's territory. They'll play nice and maybe even help if he tells them. I'll get a hold of Eric and cancel the job today and take the rest of town and hit the bus stops again. One of us finds Jesse, we call the others immediately, got it?"

We all nodded. I could visually witness Darry shifting from serious leader mode to caring friend as he turned his head towards Danny.

"We will find him, Danny."

Soda clasped her hand. "We will, Danny, I promise."

Danny's eyes were now glossy but she refused to allow the tears to fall. "Don't make promises you can't keep." She whimpered, standing up and turning away from us to hide her face.

Soda visibly winced at the cutting remark. We all couldn't tell if it was Danny referring to Soda's betrayal or simply a broken and hopeless older sister imagining to never see her baby brother again. Either way, Soda was affected and became all the more determined.

"Danny," Soda stated sternly, holding both of Danny's hands in his, "I promise you, I will not stop looking until he is found."

Danny allowed herself a faint twitch upwards of her mouth, but nothing more.

With that, Soda went to the phone and informed Steve of the situation. Darry took the receiver next and made his calls as quickly as possible. A few minutes later we could all hear the screeching of Steve's brakes. There were bonuses to all living in the same neighborhood. Soda began to run out the door until I caught him by the arm. I cleared my throat and looked him over. He rolled his eyes dramatically and rushed off to the bedroom, reentering moments later wearing a wrinkled white tee and black shoes, his DX shirt slung over his shoulder. I finishing lacing my sneakers and all of us except Darry hurried out the door.


	7. Hope Restored

**Chapter 7: Hope Restored**

It wasn't long before the wealthy birthday party goers became annoyed at my persistent questions about Jesse. They claimed not to have seen any small boys and I doubted that they even cared. What they did care about though, was everything else. I had helped clean the place from top to bottom and they still were not satisfied. Spraying down the shoes had been pointless, seeing as they all brought their own. Polishing the balls was a waste of time as well, as each person owned their own, custom-fit model. If there was one ripped piece of toilet paper on the bathroom floor, one smudge of dirt on the carpet, one "offensive" song on the intercom, I was the first to know.

I was ready to throw the towel in, literally, and resort to paper route, when I noticed Randy in the crowd. We spotted each other at the same time and he casually walked over, despite the obvious glares and whispers from onlookers.

"Randy, what are you doing here?" I asked, ringing out the rag I was using to mop up one of the many spills from the crowd.

"My father works with the father of the bratty birthday girl. I don't even know half of these people. Ugh, there are a million other things I would rather be doing right now." He glanced at the bucket residing next to me. "Except for that." He added with a chuckle. "I see you took my advice, coming to work here."

"Yeah, thanks."

"How is it working for my uncle? That is, if you ever see him. He owns four more bowling alleys and a couple restaurants or something. I hear he spends all his time in his own home office."

"Uh, he's great, yeah."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh, what? Oh, sorry Randy. It's just, you know Danny, right? Sodapop's girlfriend?"

"Of course, with how much you first talked about her at track practice."

"Jesse, her little brother, is missing. Think he might have run away last night. I'm supposed to be asking everyone who comes in here about him, but all they care about is their time being wasted by some bowling alley worker."

"Man, that's rough." Randy said with surprising deep sincerity. "Hey, did you guys try the old Sal's arcade on the South side?"

"Randy, that's been closed down for years. My dad told me when he and his wife got divorced, she took everything and he went bankrupt."

"Yeah, it's closed, to the public. Old Sal still lives above the place. He took a liking to a few of the neighbor Soc kids and he lets 'em in every now and then and fires up the few games he hasn't sold. It's kind of the place to go when you've got no other to turn to for us South side kids. It's where, it's where I used to run off to all the time when the old man would hassle me. Spent a whole night sleeping underneath the pinball machine once. I've bet the kid has heard about it around the neighborhood, everyone knows and talks about it."

"Thanks Randy." I nearly leapt up from the floor, slipping slightly on the puddle of soapy water.

I brushed past the party guests, ignoring their annoyed comments and glares. I almost slammed into the front counter, reaching over to the black phone resting just out of sight of customers. I knew I didn't have long until my boss would catch me and have me scrubbing the lanes with a toothbrush for using it for personal reasons.

"Yeah"

"Normal people usually say 'hello', Two-Bit. What are you doing at my house?"

"I checked out the neighborhood, Tim's too, got nadda. Tim says he'll have his guys keep a look out. He asked how 'the Sergeant' was doing. What's up?"

"Randy told me of a place, a place Jesse might go if he did run away."

I explained what Randy had just informed me and ordered Two-Bit to check on the others and then head over to the old arcade. He made some snide comment about me acting bossy before hanging up, and I went back to work, silently hoping and praying in the back of my mind that Randy was right.


	8. Calm Before the Storm

**A/N: Sorry it has been so long guys! Here you go! Keep reading please and pleeeaaase REVIEW. Thanks! As per usual, I do not own the Outsiders novel or movie, etc etc etc etc You know the drill.**

**Chapter 8: Calm Before the Storm**

"Jesse, I don't even, how could you? What were you thinking?"

As I jogged up our front porch steps, I was almost happy to hear Danny angry. Angry meant Jesse was alive and safe. Upset meant still lost or, worse.

"The guy let me in. I just played a few of the games, really."

"That is not what I am talking about and you know it! Do you have any idea what you put me through, what you put us all through? Everyone spent their entire day searching the entire city looking for you. I had to call in to work which means even less money for us. Jesse, I understand that losing Jack was hard, it was for me too, really. But, you just, you just can't do stuff like this. We're already strapped for cash, I can't be missing work. And besides all that, you could have been hurt. You could have been, been, just don't ever do this again. Do you hear me?"

Jesse lowered his head and slightly cowered like a puppy who had torn up a couch or something and was getting punished. He nodded slowly.

I looked Danny up and down. It was weird seeing her flustered and not knowing what to say for once. She always had her two cents to add in a conversation or possessed a witty comeback. Now, she could barely form a sentence without pausing or altering its original intent or direction.

"Go outside and wait for me to come get you. We will talk more at home. Do not even think about going anywhere outside this front yard."

Jesse slumped his shoulders and shuffled outside as Danny collapsed onto the couch for the second time that day. Her hands were shaking and she rubbed them to make it stop.

"You okay?" Soda, who had kept his trap shut like the rest of us during the conversation asked concerned.

"I'm fine. I've just, just –"

"Never been so angry and relieved at the same time?" Darry guessed.

"Exactly. I had to control myself."

"You did good. Just ask Ponyboy how well I did when I thought he was missing."

He was trying to be funny, trying to make her feel better. Who was this man and where was my brother?

"I just don't –" she trailed off, not able to form words.

"Know what you would do if anything had happened to him?" Darry guessed correct again. "Trust me, I know the feeling."

He locked his gaze with mine and we shared a quiet moment of understanding that was rare for us.

"There's something else." Danny began with an exasperated sigh. "I didn't just call in to work today, I, I was fired. They said with all the trouble I've been causing there and now this, they couldn't put up with it anymore. Now all I got is the salon. It was bad enough before, now what am I going to do?"

She was desperate, searching for one of us, any of us, to have some sort of solution.

"We'll figure something out." Soda reassured her, putting his arm around her shoulder. "We will."

With that, Danny said her goodbyes and headed out the door, unaware of the horror of a night that was awaiting her.


	9. Shot in the Dark

**Chapter 9: Shot in the Dark**

I was just finally falling asleep after sneaking up later after Soda dozed off to read more of my English class book, even though it was my second time through it, when the banging jolted me awake. Soda sprung up right beside me. I had been only entering my first nightmare of the night, Dally's murder, when the sound stirred me. At first, I imagined the noises were gunshots that I had heard merely in my head. When I looked over and saw Soda's surprised expression, I figured different.

Within seconds there was frantic high-pitched chatter mixed with low mumbling deriving from the living room.

"Soda! Ponyboy! Get up! Get in here now!"

The two of us exchanged glances and threw off the covers and pulled on a pair of jeans. Soda met the living room first, stopping abruptly when he saw Danny and causing me to nearly collide with his back. Soda and Danny locked gazes and he instantly knew what I was trying to figure out.

"Oh, no, Danny," Soda stumbled with his words, "not again."

She simply nodded and it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Don't worry," Soda managed to say comfortingly, "he's probably just at the arcade again. We'll find him again, you'll see."

"I'm sorry" Danny finally squeaked out, "I shouldn't have come here. You all have enough problems of your own and I already ruined your day yesterday. I will just –"

"No." Darry cut in. "We will help. We _all _will help."

"Yeah Danny," I spoke up, "that's what family is for." I gave her a wink and a smile and she returned it with a flinch of her lips.

"Soda," Darry took control as he always did, "you and Danny start looking around. Head towards the arcade but look around in the neighborhood on your way. Ponyboy and I will round up the gang and take the same routes as yesterday. He is probably just at the arcade again but we need to be sure and check everywhere. If he is there, he is safe. If he is anywhere else, well, we need to find him, fast. Nobody goes off on their own, you hear me?"

Soda and I nodded our heads vigorously. We all knew what happened to Greasers who walked alone at night, we nearly all had experienced it.

Soda grabbed Danny's hand and they flew out the front door in a mad dash, followed by me and Darry who went our own separate way. It didn't take too long to gather Steve and Two-Bit for the search, seeing as how we all lived in walking distance of each other. We undertook a few choice words from Two-Bit's mom, and Steve, until we told him the reason why we were there.

Searching in the dark of the night seemed almost pointless and was most definitely, so far, fruitless. Hope flickered inside all of our hearts when the faint rustling of bushes caught our attention. We approached it cautiously, speaking Jesse's name. Still, the only thing we managed to find was a stray and highly angered cat. I'm not allowed to repeat the colorful words that flew out of Two-Bit's mouth when it clamped onto his hand with its sharp teeth. In any other situation with any other circumstances, the rest of us would be doubled over on the ground, laughing until it hurt at the entire scene. It was in that moment that the sheer thought of laughter was immediately erased from my mind. We were in the lot when the sound rung out and I think all of us were unable to move inside that moment.

The clap of a gunshot had echoed throughout the lot. We all heard it and stopped dead in our tracks. Steve muttered curses under his breath and I could hear Darry whisper Soda's name as we all tried to get a sense of where the noise had come from. It was as if the moment was in slow motion or something. Adrenaline kicked in as I realized the extent of the unknown. A gunshot. Someone could have been shot. Someone could have been dead. I thought about tough little Jesse at only 8, reeling over from a bullet, or being the one firing it. Maybe that was it. Maybe he had killed a Soc. Maybe he was like Johnny, maybe he was okay – There was a low, load moan in the distance and a cracked voice cried out for Darry and me. Soda. Soda was shot. Soda was dying. My entire body was sweating and I began to shake uncontrollably. No, not my brother, not Soda. Please, not Soda.


	10. Déjà Vu

**A/N: Wow, it is about time! Ha, sorry guys! busy busy busy ... READ AND REVIEW PLEASE AND THANK YOU! **

**Chapter 10: ****Déjà Vu**

"Soda!" I screamed without thinking, "Soda?"

"Pipe down Ponyboy" Darry demanded.

We were all silent, listening. The groan came again and we bolted in the direction. I got there first and slide to my knees right next to Soda like some kind of baseball player sliding into home plate. I examined him quickly and nearly shouted for joy when I saw he wasn't shot. But then my stomach turned over inside as I realized how torn up he was. Darry was beside me by now, holding Soda's head. His bottom lip was busted open and the blood coming from his nose mixed with the blood running down his chin from the cut. He right eye was messed up and already starting to swell up. There was blood in his wet hair and splattered on his clothes. He coughed and spit out red liquid on the grass.

"Danny –"

Darry tried to shush him but Soda just ignored the command, "Danny. We've got to find Danny."

"We will. You need to be quiet and rest little buddy. You're pretty banged up."

"It doesn't matter," Soda protested as he shakily rose to his feet, with the help of Darry and I, "we've got to find her, now. Believe me, she's worse off than me."

Worse off? , I thought. Did Danny get shot? My head was spinning. Not long ago I was sleeping and now the whole world seemed to be falling apart underneath us. As we ran off in the direction Soda lead, he explained what had happened.

Shortly after Soda and Danny split off, a group of Soc boys pulled up in one their tuff mustangs and had cut them off. They were drunk, and angry. One of them was the guy from the movie when we first met Danny and Jesse. That seemed like years ago, I had almost forgotten about him. He told Danny that he had been watching her and Jesse. He demanded to know why she would go with a greaser like Soda instead of someone like him, why she would choose to become one herself. He went on to call her every name in the book until Soda stepped in and told him to beat it. They were both scared, but neither of them showed it. Danny with her fierce eyes and Soda with his tough stance and jokes would have fooled anyone, except us of course. Soda was searching the area for a weapon or escape of some sort when one of them came up and smashed his face in, again and again. Danny belted the Soc on the back but they grabbed her and threw her down. Two of them held Soda back as the others tore and jabbed at Danny. He paused in the middle of the story and just stood there, "she never screamed", he murmured, "not once". She ordered them to get off of her and called them names but never screamed in fear. No matter how hard or how many times they kicked, punched, or spit on her, she just kept fighting. Courage, I thought to myself. Soda paused again, but this time didn't stop jogging. He said that the next thing was something the kid shouldn't hear. The kid? We all turned around to see Jesse following us, as if nothing had happened. Soda must've just figured we had found him. Steve was the first at him. He grabbed the boy by the shoulders and shook him real good.

"Where the hell were you, kid? What are you thinking being out here by yourself?"

"Nothing, I wasn't." He was scared. I had never seen Jesse scared. "My sister yelled at me about causing trouble and I felt bad is all. She never lets me alone so I snuck out to collect empty bottles and junk for cash. I just wanted to help." We were all quiet. No one knew what to say. "Were you talking about my sister just now? Do you know where she is? I went home after I couldn't find nothin' else but she wasn't there. I heard you guys out here and thought I could tag along. Soda, were you talking about my sister? What happened to her? Tell me!"

Soda didn't have to. Two-Bit was frozen, with a look I had never seen his eyes, worse than when he saw Johnny beat up that time, even worse than when he saw Dallas get killed. I turned with the others to see what he was staring at and I think my eyes did the same thing. I'd seen lots of guys beat up and bloody before, lots. I'd seen my own brothers torn up real bad but nothing had ever hit me like this. Seeing a girl beat up is just different. She was slumped over on her right side, eerily still. The streetlights in the distance made it so I could just make out the red stain pattern covering the grass and the drag marks in the mud, the mud now covering Danny's shoes and knees. Soda was already by her side, holding back tears. As he began to gently roll her over, his face became more disfigured than it already was at what he saw and he looked up just in time to see Jesse running towards him. Soda quickly hollered for him to stay back. By now, Jesse was screaming and crying at the same time and clawing at his sister as Darry held him back. He screeched and fought for Darry to let go of him so that he could see Danny. Darry's strong arms just squeezed tighter, almost into a hug.

"Get him back!" Soda ordered, "Get the kid out of here, now! Someone, get him away!"

"Steve," Darry commanded, "take him home and keep him there for now," Steve was ashen and blank and didn't respond. "Steve! Take him home, now! We'll call you!"

Steve snapped out of his trance and grabbed Jesse in the same lock Darry had held him in and wrestled him out of the lot. When Jesse was out of sight range, Soda gingerly pushed Danny all the way on her back and we all realized why Jesse had to leave. I wanted to leave too. I couldn't tell if I was going to run, get sick, or scream. Her face was covered with tiny gashes and the blood stained tree next to her revealed why. Bruises were already forming underneath a few of the deeper cuts. Her shirt was ripped open at the collar and her bra was exposed. As I traced her wounds lower I could see a deep pool of red at her lower stomach, almost reaching her side. It was pumping fast and flooded the area.

Danny Hill had been shot.


	11. Pain

**Chapter Eleven: Pain**

I could hear Two-Bit start to whimper a little, "is she, Soda, is she, dead?" At that, Danny's head moved to one side and a soft groan pushed through her red-stained lips.

"She's alive!" Soda exclaimed, nearly jumping off the ground.

I still wanted to get sick but the adrenaline thankfully took over. I rushed over to the side closest to the gunshot wound and demanded Soda's handkerchief that he always carried in his back pocket. Grabbing it, I firmly pressed down where most of the blood was spilling out. Danny winced and I felt sorry but relieved to hear anything from her at all. Soda simply brushed back her hair and whispered soothingly. The handkerchief was soaked almost instantly by the rain and the blood. I had forgotten a jacket, as usual, and had Darry threw me his. Soda placed it over Danny's quivering body while I searched for something else to use. Soda caught on and hurriedly pulled off his shirt and handed it to me.

"She needs to get to hospital, fast" I stammered, trying to sound firm and confident like those heroes you see in movies or read about in books.

"I can go run to a payphone and call for help" Two-Bit offered and was gone before anyone bothered to answer.

The minutes seemed to tick by as if hours. Where was the ambulance? Soda's shirt wasn't going to work forever. We were all so worried that none of us noticed when Danny first woke up and opened her eyes. A cough formed in her throat and emerged as a moan for Soda.

"Hey" he said softly, "hey, shh now. I'm here. They ain't going to hurt you no more. You're okay"

"You're bleeding," she choked out looking up at Soda's face

"Nah, It's nothing. I'm fine. Shh now"

"Soda, am I bleeding?"

"Yeah, yeah you are. It's okay though. You're going to be alright, ya hear me?".

"I'm so cold, Soda. Why aren't you cold? So cold."

"We're going to take you something nice and warm, okay?"

She nodded weakly and turned to see the rest of us for the first time, "Hey Ponyboy. What are you all – Jesse! Where's Jesse? I was lookin' for him. Where is he?" She tried to sit up but Soda held her shoulders down and urged her to calm down, reassuring her that Jesse was found and safe. Danny smiled as best she could but began to close her eyes slowly.

"Danny? Danny, no. Stay with me now. You got to stay awake honey. Come on now," he cradled her head in his arms and continued whispering to her.

"There were so many," she interrupted, "so many. I tried to fight. I did. I thought you were dead," she paused, "you're bleeding", she repeated, "blood. So much of it. I tried to stop it, to stop them. I fought, but they beat me down. They forced – they had a gun. They threatened to use it if I didn't – I tried to fight. I tackled the guy with the gun when he stood up but he wouldn't let go. It went off and they ran. They just ran. Soda, Soda, I'm sorry. I wanted it to be you first. I wanted it to be you." With that, she passed out cold in Soda's arms.

We all realized then what Soda couldn't say in front of the kid. Darry clenched his fists and his face got red hot with anger. He muttered curses under his breath as Two-Bit kicked a nearby tree. Two-Bit. I hadn't even realized he had returned. The ambulance. Where was it? It was taking too long. Darry spoke my thoughts and Soda looked up at him, broken and desperate. It broke my heart seeing my brother like that and I'm sure it did Darry's too because I swear I saw a tear run down his cheek.

"The truck," Soda insisted, "Darry please go get the truck"

"It isn't safe to move her if we don't know what we're doing," I stuttered, "and it will take too long to get it and get there –"

"I'm not just going to sit here and watch her die!" Soda shouted with intensity I had never seen him have, "Please Darry, the truck."

Darry bolted back to the house and when he returned with his truck we all helped get Danny in the back. Soda and I stayed back there with her while Two-Bit ran to tell Steve. The drive was no more than fifteen minutes but it felt like a cross country trip. I had never had so much blood on my hands. I never knew it was so warm. And then I realized that it wasn't just blood on my hands, it was Danny's blood. Danny, who your brother was going to maybe marry, Danny, who wrote poems and read books like I read, who could get along with just about everyone and could even make Darry smile, sometimes laugh, even when he was in a real foul mood. Danny, who had lost everything except her brother, who lived and now was dying for his survival, who rarely cared about herself but took care of everyone else, who I could talk to about almost anything, who- my head was swimming and I didn't even realize I had stopped applying pressure to her wound.

"Ponyboy!"

The shout jolted me back to reality and I saw Soda looking sharply from Danny to me to his bloody shirt. I was shaking again and tried to steady my hand as I reapplied the fabric over the small hole in Danny's body. We finally stopped and immediately carried Danny out from the back of the truck. There was so much noise and screaming, my head was spinning. I couldn't think. I didn't want to think. Danny was dying.

"What happened?" A doctor was hurrying alongside us as nurses pushed Danny down a hall.

"She, she" Soda stammered but just kept staring after Danny. It finally hit him. What had hit me on the ride to the hospital slammed him over the head as he saw her lying there, helpless.

"She was shot" Darry finished for him, "we were waiting for an ambulance but it never showed so we brought her."

"I applied pressure to it and slowed the bleeding but I couldn't get it to stop. She's been out for quite some time in the rain. She woke up and spoke for a few minutes but passed out cold. Her breathing has been pretty weak and she was pretty cold. I think she might've been going into shock."

"Is she going to be alright?" Soda asked in a panic-stricken voice

"We're going to do our best. The kid probably saved her life, or at least prolonged it so she could make it here."

He disappeared into a room filled with other doctors and nurses. I could barely see Danny behind the crowd of people. Soda slumped into a chair and began sobbing heavily. Darry and I exchanged glances and went by his side, wrapping our arms around him.


	12. A Whiter Shade of Pale

**REVIEW PLEASE...**

**Chapter 12: A Whiter Shade of Pale**

We had to wait a few days to see her and that was killing Soda. He spent his days and nights in the hospital waiting area. Darry, I and the gang took turns staying with him but I still had school and Darry and Steve had work. Her aunt and uncle showed up, David at their side and talked quietly in a corner with a doctor. They came only once. Soda nearly leapt up and charged at David. Steve told us because he had to push Soda back in the chair and hold him there until they left. His eyes were hard and cold as he glared, watching David leave. He wouldn't tell us why. It made us even more nervous that the doctors wouldn't say much. We were simply told that she was alive but could not see her yet. We didn't even know if she was awake or not or if she was going to make it. With all the time spent there I saw plenty of people come in and leave and the doctors and nurses spent a lot of time with other people. Rich family members would get full, detailed updates on loved ones' conditions while we sat, helpless and clueless. A week had gone by and by then we were all ready to threaten each person there with a blade to get our way. Soda would have sooner, but Darry kept him cool. We had enough problems without Soda getting thrown in the cooler and me shipped off to a boys' home. Early that morning, the whole gang was at the hospital. It was a Saturday. On a normal day like this I would have been at the movies or outside reading or studying, Darry would be working a job, Soda would be working at the DX or out with Danny, Two-Bit would be out getting drunk and picking up girls, and Steve would be at the station or working out. Instead, we were all huddled together, awaiting something, anything. The doctor who we had seen the night of the accident finally approached us with a somber look about him. I didn't like that.

"I'm sorry you boys have had to go all week without any notice of Danny's condition. I take it the police have talked to all of you already about the night?" The cops had made a brief appearance with some routine questions that last Sunday and hadn't contacted us since. We all nodded and he continued, "we're normally only supposed to share this information with the family –"

"We told you a dozen times that she doesn't have any, except her brother." Soda impatiently interrupted

"Yeah" I agreed "We're her only family, like we've been telling you".

"You have to understand that we can't just take your word for it. I was able to tell you that she survived the night but could not reveal any further details to you until we received notification from the police that what you were saying was in fact the truth."

Something fishy was going on and I think all of us could smell it.

"Just tell us already" Soda nearly yelled.

"Danny lost a lot of blood that night, resulting in a very serious form of shock. She was in pretty rough shape but we thought we were in the clear until Tuesday. You told us that Danny had been in the rain for quite some time. Due to the weather and the amount of blood loss, it seems that she has come down with pneumonia. We have been giving her treatments and doing all that we can but it seems that her step-uncle has stopped payments. We can continue keeping her here and treating her, but it will get quite costly. I'm technically not supposed to be telling you all of this seeing as she has living family members in the area who were previously involved in the matter, but seeing as they have detached themselves from the situation I see no other people to turn to."

"How much are we talking?" Darry asked

The doctor gave us a rough estimate and my stomach dropped. Darry simply closed his eyes and Soda's face got red hot with anger. Steve put his hand on his best friend's shoulder as Two-Bit gave me soulful glance. Darry recovered and pulled Soda and the doctor aside and spoke quietly. Darry was stern and attentive while Soda looked as if every word the doctor said was a blow to his gut. The conversation lasted long and I couldn't stand the not knowing any longer. The doctor turned and headed in the opposite direction and Darry and Soda came back to us. Darry explained that the only option was to take her out of the hospital. He said that she would stay with us until she recovered. Until, that sounded good. Until, it meant that eventually she would. Soda simply stared at the floor tiles as Darry spoke and it was then I knew my brother would never be the same. Darry explained that we'd still have to come up with money to get her medication, that cost couldn't be avoided without letting Danny die. Someone would need to be at the house at all times to check up on her and give her the pills. As long as we did everything the doctor told us, the pneumonia should pass, but it would be a rough passing. After that, she would have to stay in bed for a few weeks to fully recover. If she moved too much or stood up or something she could bust her stitches open and start bleeding again. I remembered all that blood. All over my hands, her clothes, Soda's clothes, the truck, all that blood. Darry had Steve, Two-Bit, and I went home to get things ready. She would stay in Soda and mine's bedroom and I agreed to sleep on the couch. I would've slept in the front yard to help Danny. The three of us rushed to the house and waited for the others' arrival anxiously.

When we heard the slam of the screen door, all of us ran from the bedroom to see. I had thought she couldn't have looked any worse than the night we found her lying in a pool of her own blood. I was wrong. Her skin was pale, ghostly pale. Her hair was thin and wispy, falling over her face with none of its usually grace or bold shape. Her entire body seemed skeletal. I looked away for a moment, afraid I was going to look too hard and see right through her. Darry had her in his arms but was being real gentle with her. He ordered us to move out of the way so he could put her down before any of her stitches popped. We all followed closely into the bedroom. I leaned in closer, trying to find Danny inside this stranger laying in my bed. Her eyes were sunken with dark circles underneath and a blueish tone on her lids. Her lips which usually were coated in a soft cherry lipstick were dry and cracked with the same blue hue. Some of the bruises and cuts from the fight were still visible on her face and arms. I reached to touch her hand, wondering if it would be hot from the fever or cold from the pneumonia. Before I could tell, her body began to struggle. Her shoulders jerked and a hoarse cough filled the silence of the room. By the third choking cough, her eyes were open, but just barely.

"She's awake again Darry!" Soda exclaimed

"She did this in the truck, Sodapop" Darry said with a sad tone.

"Maybe it's different this time. Danny, hey Danny. Wake up now, it's me Sodapop."

"I tried to stop them officer" Danny's voice was barely a faint whisper.

"Officer?" Steve looked to Darryl.

"It's the sickness, she's delusional. She thought she was with her parents on the way here" Darry responded

"Come on Danny, snap out of it. It's me, it's your Soda"

Danny eyes flew wide open and she tried to sit up fast but Soda stopped her. She was breathing heavily from the simple action, "a test. I have gym test. I can't run like this. I have to go! I have to take the test!" Soda gently pushed her back down on the bed and her coughing heavily increased and she sank deeper into the pillow and remained motionless.


	13. Let It Be

**A/N: SOO SOO sorry for the LOONNGG delay in an update! I'm working 3 jobs and going to school. I have the next several chapters done and know where I want to go and how I want to finish. Hang in there with me!~PLEASE**

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**Chapter 17: Let It Be**

The following days dragged on like a bad Beatles song. I was supposed to stay focused on school, Darry would keep telling me. After what had happened with Johnny my shiny A's took a fatal nosedive. I had been working my tail off to get them back up, but simply could not find the urge to care while Danny was still lying in bed and Jesse gone. Jesse. I wasn't quite sure, but I imagined that would be the hardest part of all this for Danny. She was one tough girl; any of us could see that. She didn't make a fuss over a broken nail or cry when a boy looked at her funny. She was the only girl I had ever seen still look pretty covered in grease from working on cars and could put up with the lot of us on a daily basis. Still, no one wanted to be the one to tell her about him, about where he was. Her body had already been broken, no one dared to break her heart too.

Up until now, we didn't have to worry about that talk. Danny struggled her way through recovery, both the pneumonia and wound trying to keep her down. It was quite some time before she found herself fully coherent for longer than a few minutes and even then she could not overexert herself, even mentally, without being overtaken by exhaustion. Today though, she was at last awake and alert for a significant amount of time and she finally asked the question we all had been dutifully avoiding.

Danny sipped the glass of water that rested in between her two hands. She took the liquid in slowly and stifled a shallow cough as it slid down her throat. The return of fluids to her body was gradually bringing the color back to her fair cheeks. Her lips still cracked when she was assaulted with yet another fit of coughs, but for the most part were now plump and healthy. Her eyes were even starting to show that spark of life that had always existed there before, challenging, yet compassionate, stubborn, yet kind.

She began to rest the glass back on the bedside table when Soda gingerly pulled it from her grasp.

"I've got it," He spoke softly. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better every day, doc" Danny's voice scratched against itself. "No chills anymore and I know where I am, so no delusional, craziness. Uh, headache still, just a little one, and well, the coughing never goes away."

"You feel like eating anything today?"

Danny held back another cough and shook her head slowly.

"Come on, you need to eat something."

"I don't feel like it." Danny whined, scrunching her nose and squinting her eyes.

"Tough," Sodapop stated firmly with a strong nod of his head.

"Fine," Danny ceded, "whatever you say, you're the doctor."

"Who's a doctor now?" I asked finally revealing my presence.

I wasn't a spy or anything but Danny was important to all of us. I wanted to spend time with her too, talking with her and trying to make her feel better, but I knew it would hurt Soda to not be there if something happened. I made due with standing silently in the hall, leaning against the doorframe until my presence was made known or I got bored and spoke.

"Why, I am, of course," Soda stated nonchalantly as if it was an obvious fact.

"At least, he thinks he is with all his rules and questions," Danny teased.

I couldn't help but grin at her sarcasm. The tone was still monotonous and hazy, but anyone who knew Danny knew when she was and wasn't serious.

"He just wants what is best for you," I laughed, "we all do."

"Well," Danny groaned, "what I want is to get out of bed and go to work. I can't stand just lying around like this. What about money? How am I going to pay for – " She paused for a moment and her gaze lowered, as if gears were slowly working their way up to normal speed in her mind. Something was there, she just couldn't place it yet, until her eyes darted to meet Soda's. "Jesse," she whispered, as if it was a foreign word. "Jesse!" She suddenly let her eyes flash wide open and began to attempt to sit up with little success and Soda held her down.

"Calm down, Danny," Soda pleaded. "Just lay down."

"No," Danny shook her head defiantly, "where is he? How – how could I have gone all this time without seeing him, without asking for him?"

"You called out his name a lot," Soda sighed, "you even asked for me almost every time you woke up, but you always passed out again before we could tell you –" He bowed his head and swallowed.

"Tell me what?" Danny was beginning to panic, what little of emotion she could inflect into her voice was transparent. "What happened? Was he hurt too? Is he still missing? What's going on? Please," she begged, pulling weakly at her boyfriend's shirt, "please, tell me. I – I can take it. I just need to know."

"Well," Soda began, his voice cracking with sorrow, "you see, you were in the hospital for awhile and then you were sick and all. The night you – when – when you were brought into the hospital, Jesse, well, he was taken and –"

"Taken? What – what do you mean 'taken'? Where is my brother?"

"The people from social services, they took him and put him in some kind of temporary care but then, well, you weren't getting better right away so – he, uh, he was placed under the care of another family."

"Who? Who is he with? Strangers? Some government workers?"

"Danny," Soda breathed, "I'm sorry. They – they put him in the care of your aunt and uncle."

I imagined that Danny would leap out of bed at the news and immediately sprint over to their house to take Jesse back. I anticipated her screaming, punching, kicking, crying. I expected that she would show some hostile or upset emotion, but as I stared at the girl with compassion and curiosity, she simply laid there, staring up at the blank ceiling. I exchanged nervous glances with my brother as he slipped his hand into hers.

"Danny?" He whispered. "Did you hear me?"

Danny's lips quivered and she nodded ever so slowly. Her eyelids pressed shut and her chest rose and fell with calculated breaths.

"Danny, are you okay?" Soda squeezed his girlfriend's hand gingerly.

Danny waited a moment before opening her eyes and connecting her gaze with Soda's. They held that sad link for what seemed to be a lifetime before Danny rolled her head to the opposite side, facing away from both of us.

"I'm tired," she moaned, "Can I please rest now, doctor?"

Her shield of humor was still up and strong and I winced at the remark.

"Yeah," Soda nodded, "yeah, sure."

"Can you go away please? I want to be alo – please just go so I can rest."

Soda nodded again, this time without words. He breathed in a heavy sigh and pulled his hand away from hers, leaning down to place a delicate kiss on her cheek. She flinched and he pretended not to notice. The two of us turned silently and walked out the door, closing it behind us and sharing one last look of concern.


	14. Not My Home

**PLEASE...READ AND REEVVIIEEWW...THANK YOU!**

**Chapter 14: Not My Home**

The stale air seemed to adhere to my skin as I lazily ambled about the lonely street. I should have been moving faster, but I simply could not motivate my legs. If I hadn't learned that walking anywhere alone was foolish and dangerous from my several beatings by now, I'd say I was hopeless. Or I simply failed to care. I was tired of how the way the world seemed to dysfunctional work. I was tired of watching my friends die, my family suffer. I was just plain tired. I was also tired of being babysat by a boy who could barely look after his own self. I wondered if Two-Bit had even realized I had continued walking when he stopped to swoon a couple of broads about a block back. I hadn't the time or the interest in pit stops, even ones that included two gorgeous blondes. I swatted at a fly aimlessly and squinted up at the piercing sun. It felt like a spotlight, following me wherever I went, its heat bearing down on me full force like a gang of Socs.

"Hey!"

I failed to stop at the boisterous and familiar voice. The logical senses in me would have instructed me to keep walking, head looking straight forward to avoid a confrontation with a possible attacking Soc. The other part of me recognized the wail and simply was disinterested in the whims of this particular person and his enforced duty to watch over me.

"Pony! Wait on up, will ya!"

Two-Bit broke into a jog and met me at my side.

"Where do you think you're going without me?"

"Home."

"Not alone, you ain't."

"I wouldn't be alone if _somebody_ didn't stop and talk to every girl that we passed by."

I couldn't help but slip a chuckle in at the end of my lecturing sentence. As much as Two-Bit's behavior annoyed me sometimes, no one could truly stay mad at him and his ridiculous antics for long.

"Well hey now, I didn't know you stopped liking girls and turned to the other side of life –"

"Cut it out."

"Hey, kid, I_ am_ your babysitter, you should show some respect."

With that, I turned and tackled him to the grass. We rolled in the dirt for quite some time, trading blows and laughs until a small sound perked both our ears up. We both froze and slowly untangled ourselves from one another, stumbling to a standing position. The soft noise continued as we tiptoed in its faint direction. I took the lead and brought us around the corner and into a narrow alleyway. I think neither of us was able to move for a moment as we spotted the small figure. His shoulders rocked jaggedly with each muffled sob. His hair was tousled and his clothing was wrinkled and torn. A violet shaded design decorated his cheek, swelling like an overinflated balloon. It wasn't the only discoloring covering his skin. A thick and plum ring of bruising existed around the boy's small wrist. This wound was far darker than the one that covered his cheek. I had seen a lot of bruises and cuts and all sorts of things, but he was just a kid, a helpless kid. A lot of greasers wore their injuries proud. If Steve came over with a busted up face from a fight, he would be cross, but still carry an arrogant sense about him. Darryl would take a fist to the face and hardly flinch. Dally didn't so much as blink after getting cut up in a rumble. Yet when Johnny got jumped and tore up real bad, everything was different. When I got beat up, there was no laughing or tough guy talk. When Danny got attacked, no one was slapping high fives. Now, here was this kid sitting on the cold ground, crying and bleeding, helpless. Somehow, it was all just different.

Two-Bit bit off a curse as I knelt down towards the huddled boy. Noticing us for the fist time, the boy suddenly dug his face into his shoulder and forcibly choked back remaining tears. His small body was quivering, although I could tell he was trying terribly hard to stop it from doing so. I leaned in closer to him and spoke his name in a soft voice.

"Go away."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he sniffled and feigned a tough guy voice.

"Who did this to you?"

When he neglected to answer, Two-Bit crouched down too.

"Kids at school?" He prompted.

The small figure shook his head rapidly.

"Someone jump you?" Two-Bit prodded again.

Still, the boy shook his head violently.

"Did this –" I started, but found the words tangling with reluctance in my throat. "Did this happen – at home?"

It took a moment for the boy to respond in any form. Finally, he rose his face out from burial and locked his frightened eyes with mine. He attempted to appear brave, but his gaze said it all.

"That's not my home." He snapped coldly.

His harsh reaction gave me the answer I dreaded and all I could manage to do was breath out a heavy sigh. Bruises from home are a lot worse than war wounds from rumbles or getting jumped. All of us knew that. It didn't matter if you got your nose broke in a street fight and the other guy just got slapped across the face by his father. It was still worse.

I reached out hesitantly to get a better look at his wrist. The moment my fingers touched it, he reeled back in fear and pain. As he did so, he yelped out in agony at the movement of the aching injury.

"That looks pretty bad, Two-Bit," I nodded at the kid's arm. "Might be broken."

"Since when did you become a doctor, kid?" Two-Bit nudged me in the shoulder and waited for a response from the boy; a laugh, a smile, anything.

The boy hardly noticed him.

"We should get him to the hospital," I urged.

Before I even finished my sentence, the boy shot up feverishly and took several steps back and away from us.

"No! Just, go away! Leave me alone!"

Without another word, he turned and sprinted off. I could hear his sobs start up again as he began to run and entertained the thought of chasing him down. Then I remembered the rules of the world. Things were never that easy. If he didn't want help, he wasn't going to take any and there was no convincing him. I simply shoved my hands in my pockets and traded a nervous glance with my friend.


	15. Broken

**Chapter 15: Broken**

"You're sure?" Darry pressed as I finished explaining what Two-Bit and I had just witnessed.

"I wouldn't lie about this, Darry," I begged. "You gotta believe me. We gotta do something."

"Alright, alright. Just, calm down. Did you tell Soda?"

"Nah, not yet."

"Good. Don't."

"What? But it's –"

"I know Pony, just, wait, okay? He's having a hard enough time with everything else right now. He fell asleep by her side again today."

"So, what are we supposed to do? We can't just let that creep –"

"Keep your voice down. I'll talk to the woman from social services. Just, calm down. I don't want Soda seeing you like this. He'll know something is wrong and God knows you two couldn't lie to each other to save your lives. So just hush up and go work on your homework."

"But –"

"Now, Ponyboy."

I dropped my shoulders and hung my head in verbal defeat. Retreating to my books, I still couldn't stop thinking about the scared little boy and wondering what Darry would really do. Everyone knew Sodapop and I couldn't lie to each other, but Darry and I were a whole other breed of brothers. I lied to keep him from worrying so much and from getting my head beat in for doing something stupid. He lied to protect us, to protect me. I knew in the back of my mind that he wasn't going to call the woman from social services. My suspicions were confirmed when I heard the sharp squeal of the screen door and then its slamming clamor echoing throughout the small house. I waited a few seconds before eagerly shoving my books aside and making a break for the door. Darry would certainly beat me there in his truck, but I could make good time by sprinting through the shortcuts that roads couldn't take. I failed to care that evening hours were approaching and there I was again, alone. I doubt anyone would have come after me or even had the time to think about it as I ran along so fast. All I could think about was getting there as quickly as humanly possible.

I rounded the last corner and spotted the blue truck parked alongside the street, in front of an oversized and gorgeous home. The vehicle definitely stood out among the other convertibles and high-end cars. I hesitantly approached the neighborhood and crouched behind my brother's truck as he walked purposefully up the driveway and towards the middle-aged who was leaving the house and heading towards his car. It took him a moment to notice Darry's presence and that moment was enough to give my brother the upper hand. He charged the man and pulled him up by the collar.

"You like picking on kids, huh?" With a grunt, Darry dropped the man to the grass. "Pick on me."

"What? Are you on drugs?"

Darry moved violently towards the man, who easily flinched and cowered.

"Not so tough, now, are you?"

"I don't even know you or what you're talking about."

"You know damn well what I am talking about. I was driving past your house the other day and I saw you beating the tar out of some kid. Who was he? Your son?"

I just shook my head at my brother's quick thinking and wondered if I would have been as clever to play dumb. Greasers knew plenty about abuse, even if your parents never raised their hand to you. Every Greaser had at least one friend with a drunk and slap happy father or a miserable and violent mother. And every Greaser knew, there was close to nothing you could do about it. If you told someone your dad hit you, he'd find out and hit you more. If your friend or a teacher showed up at the door to question your mother about bruises, you just ended up with more. This way, Darry could just maybe scare the pants off of him enough to lay off the beatings for at least a little while and vent his anger without getting the kid caught in crossfire.

"I don't – I never –" The man growled and hissed furiously but still stumbled over his lies.

"I saw you through that window of yours."

"Why do you care?"

"Because I do. Because no kid deserves that. Touch him again, and I'll have the cops here. Or maybe, I'll just come back. I don't think parents should hit their kids, see. But I have no problem with me hitting you."

With that, Darryl turned swiftly and stormed back to his truck. I quickly crawled up and ducked in the back, keeping still while Darry got in and slammed the door shut. The entire ride home and I just laid there in total awe of my big brother. He was always the sensible one, the one telling everyone else to follow the rules and to not lose their cool. Sure he got loud with me, but that's sibling stuff. Darry would never backtalk a teacher or any adult. He'd stand his ground on most things and say his piece, but nothing more than that. Now, here he was, threatening some rich and high and mighty Soc. I could hardly keep the grin off my face. That was, of course, until I thought of someone else. I started thinking about the reason for all this, the boy Two-Bit and I found earlier. I remembered his marks and how much he trembled. I remembered barely recognizing him at first glance. He wasn't the boy I knew. He wasn't the person he once was. When he looked me in the eye, it was like I was staring back at Johnny again, like I was looking at the lonely puppy dog that had been kicked too many times. It was like all happiness, all hope, was gone, and all that remained, was fear. The next thought that flashed in my mind made my stomach churn and my head dizzy. It came without warning and flickered inside my mind as if I said it in my own voice.

Jesse Hill had been broken.


	16. Can Be Done

**A/N: WOW. I am so terribly sorry to all of you that this story has gone so long without being updated. To be perfectly honest, I have a ton of chapters finished. I simply lack the key ingredient of a working computer (mine decided to obtain a nasty virus and I can't afford the new software) and internet. So with the little time I have here, I have uploaded this chapter and hopefully can add another one ASAP.**

**THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! I personally do not believe myself to be that talented or creative etc etc when it comes to writing. I merely to do it because I love it. Reviews keep me believing that the story deserves to be updated officially on here and let's me know if you love it, hate it, etc. **

**I hope you enjoy the long awaited and so very overdue chapters!**

**Chapter 16: Can Be Done**

"What are we supposed to do?" I sighed as I slumped down onto the swing. "I feel like everything is just spinning out of control and there's not a damn thing we can do about it."

"There isn't, kid," Steve grumbled as he sat on the grass, ripping chunks out from the ground with his words. "It's life. Parents beat their kids. Socs get away with attempted murder. I tell ya what though, that Jesse – he – he's a tough little kid. I woulda' killed that guy, Darry."

"Yeah, well, I almost did," Darry sighed. "I sure wanted to alright. But that woulda' done us no good. Maybe I even made it worse."

"But we got to do something!" I hollered, pushing myself up and swinging my arms.

I couldn't sit still any longer. I felt like even just sitting there was wasting time and hurting Jesse.

"What are we supposed to do, Pony?" Two-Bit sighed. "He ain't the first Greaser to have his skull beat in by his old man."

"No one did anything for us," Steve mumbled bitterly.

"This is different," I argued, feeling as if all my friends were against me, against Jesse, "he's all alone. We – we had each other. We all know Johnny got it the worst of any of us but he had all of us to turn to. How many times did he sleep on our couch, how many times did you two? Jesse don't have that. He's a Greaser in a Soc family getting the tar beat out of him at home and probably by other kids too. He ain't got nobody to protect him. There ain't nobody there to pull a Soc off of him when things go too far. There ain't nobody there to hear his screams and care and come running. We're all he's got and we're just gonna sit around here and do nothin'? No way. I won't."

My short speech hung in the air and no one spoke for quite some time. I'm not sure if my sudden outburst scared them all quiet or maybe got them to start thinking straight. Either way, it felt like hours before Darry finally stood up and tossed a broken stick aside.

"I'll talk to the social worker –"

"Oh, come on, Darry," Steve scoffed, "you know that only makes things worse for the kid."

"I'm not gonna say any names, okay?" Darry shot back. "Just get some information. Steve, you keep Soda distracted, okay? I don't want him finding out about this from anybody but us. I'll tell him, but not yet. He's already all messed up about Danny. I know we're all worried about Jesse, but right now our priority has to be Danny and for the rest of us to keep it together and keep it clean. No fights, no mess with the cops. If we want to get Jesse back, we're gonna have to look squeaky clean to the social service people."

"We ain't the kid's family," Steve shrugged, "what do they care?"

"They care because they look at the kid's environment or whatever, stupid. We're around him and Danny so we can't be getting into trouble. And you're wrong Steve," Darry's voice lowered suddenly, "we are his family. Like Pony said, we're all he's got. He's one of us and we always look out for each other, no matter what."

I straightened my shoulders and gazed up at my older brother. It wasn't often that Darryl agreed with anything I said, let alone backed me up verbally in front of the gang. I was glad to have him on my side and I hoped that with everyone working together, maybe, just maybe, something would finally work out.

Darryl made several attempted phone calls to our usual case worker with no success. She was consistently out of the office or busy. I found it annoyingly ironic that we always tried so hard to avoid her and anyone like her, but when we were actually seeking her out, we were hitting brick walls. Finally, Darry made the decision to try a direct and in-person approach. I tagged along after school, not desiring to be the one to tell a lie to Soda as to where Darry was.

The building was small and square with dully yellow painted bricks. The weeds among the grass and flowers that decorated the front entrance roamed free and unmaintained. This was where our case worker had her office, but not where the State's headquarters were. I had only visited there once, shortly after my parents' death. Its symmetrical structure and lifeless metallic colors stole away any elegance or air of sophistication and power it might have had. Its oversized glass windows and shining tiled floors were permanently etched into my mind. Although that building and the decrepit one that we faced now were worlds apart in appearance, they both still were dripping with gloom.

We shuffled inside and were immediately met with several pairs of eyes. Some were young and eager, as if they saw as projects or special cases they could somehow fix. Others looked us over with glazed eyes, as if they had seen far too many youth like us before and now had lost the motivation to care. Darry led the way as I casually kicked my feet against the ground behind him, my hands shoved in my pockets and my eyes directed down at the floor.

"We need to see Ms. Fischer," I heard Darry speak and glanced up to see the middle-aged blonde behind the counter.

"Do you have an appointment?" The woman inquired, raising only one of her eyebrows and looking the two of us from top to bottom.

"No," Darry sighed with aggravation lacing his throat, "we don't, but we need to see her."

"I'm sorry but –"

"No," Darry interrupted, this time the anger leaking out, "we're not leaving here until we see Ms. Fischer. We have called and called and haven't gotten anywhere. There's someone – a kid – in trouble, big trouble. He's getting hurt right now, and he's gonna get hurt tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that unless we do something. No one else will help him. Now, I thought you people were here to help kids? Right? Then help us by getting us to see her or don't and what happens to this kid, is on you."

The woman's posture shifted in her chair and she quickly averted my brother's hard stare. With a couple quickened breaths and a huff of a sigh, she stood up from her desk and ambled down a narrow hall and through a closed door. A few seconds passed as we stood there waiting and I could feel the room full of eyes still on us, pressing into us and trying to psychoanalyze us and our intentions. The frazzled woman reappeared and ushered us down the hall and into the same room she had just disappeared into. She quietly turned and closed the door behind her as another woman waved for us to sit. Darry and I exchanged looks and obeyed the gesture.

"I hear you've been trying to get in touch with me," the petite brunette grinned. "I can't lie, I am quite surprised. I always imagined you boys were always trying to avoid me. I'm sorry I have been so busy. What seems to be the problem? Your brother – Sodapop – isn't here with you? Is everything alright?"

"It's – it's not about us," Darry started, clearing his throat. "There's a – a kid we know. He's – he's being beat up by his dad. Well, it's not really his dad, but his legal guardian."

"What is this boy's name?" She inquired, leaning forward and fingering a pencil.

"No offense, ma'am," Darry sighed, "but from what we've seen, when you people get involved in this stuff to investigate or whatever it is you do, it gets a lot worse for the kid before, or even if, it gets better. We know this guy and he'll cover himself real good. We just wanna know what we got to do to prove it and to help – the kid."

"Well, this is a tough situation and I would strongly caution you boys to not get too involved in it. It could get you or this child hurt. Although I would be willing to guess you already have, I would advise that you do not confront the abuser by yourselves."

"What are we supposed to do?" I pleaded. "Sit back and do nothing?"

"Unfortunately in these situations, legally, there is not a lot you can do. If you get involved in any unauthorized way, it could jeopardize the entire case and a good attorney could throw this all back on you. You boys are already on hot water with all these incidents lately. I would recommend that you focus on your own situation and keeping yourselves out of trouble."

"But J – he's our friend!" I cried out, not understanding how everyone was against helping this innocent kid.

"I understand that," the woman replied firmly, "but be careful. If you can obtain proof, legitimate and undeniable proof of this abuse, then we can go from there. I will need to know the child's name, address and age. I will also need to know the nature of the alleged abuse, where and when it happened, the names of this apparent legal guardian and anyone else involved, siblings, parents, anyone and anything else relevant. Without that information I am unable to file a formal report and my hands are legally tied. If I _am _able to make a formal report, one of our investigators will begin the investigation within 24 hours. The investigation will include an evaluation of the safety of the child named in the report and any other children in the home, and a determination of the risk to the children if they continue to remain in the home."

"What will happen to him?" I wondered out loud.

"Well, the investigator determines there is a risk to the child, he could be put into protective custody. Then, well, then it's up to a lot of paperwork and the courts."

"If – if they do, you know, take him away, what will happen to him?" I pressed, already knowing the answer from our past experiences.

"It all depends really and is difficult to ascertain at this point in time, especially with how little I know of this particular situation. If, in fact, the child is removed from the home and there is no one else to act as a legal guardian, the child will then become a ward of the state and –"

"Foster care," I sighed, shaking my head.

"It's a possibility," she nodded somberly, "but it's not as horrible as you think."

"What if," I started and then felt myself searching for the correct words, unsure of how to hide the truth. "What if there is somebody, like a relative? Could they, you know, take care of him? Like how Darry takes care of me and Soda?"

"Again, it's a possibility. This person would have to be at least 18 years old. A judge will look for stable employment and financial security. This person will be required to maintain a residence and have it be suitable and safe for a child and their lifestyle will also have to reflect a safe environment for the child, their friends, neighbors, the type of employment they have, everything becomes a factor. It isn't easy, as you already know," she nodded towards Darryl who frowned, "but, as you also know, it can be done."

Darry nodded and pushed himself up out of the chair, I followed his lead as he shook the case worker's hand, thanking her politely. The two of us turned in unison and shuffled out the door, having heard what we had already expected and unsure of what was to come.


	17. Hiding

**A/N: WOW. I am so terribly sorry to all of you that this story has gone so long without being updated. To be perfectly honest, I have a ton of chapters finished. I simply lack the key ingredient of a working computer (mine decided to obtain a nasty virus and I can't afford the new software) and internet. So with the little time I have here, I have uploaded this chapter and hopefully can add another one ASAP.**

**THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! I personally do not believe myself to be that talented or creative etc etc when it comes to writing. I merely to do it because I love it. Reviews keep me believing that the story deserves to be updated officially on here and let's me know if you love it, hate it, etc. **

**I hope you enjoy the long awaited and so very overdue chapters!**

**Chapter 17: Hiding**

"I feel ridiculous," a hoarse voice greeted us as Darry and I walked through the front door with our tails between our legs.

"Would you just do it and be quiet already?" We could hear the exhaustion in our brother's voice and exchanged curious glances.

"It's hot."

"That's the point, stupid," Soda sighed affectionately. "Man, you sure are grumpy when you're shot and get pneumonia."

"And you're stubborn and bossy when you stay up all night taking care of your girlfriend."

Darry and I rounded the corner and came to the open door just in time to see a weak smile spread across Danny's face. It was a welcomed sight to us all and the four of us couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you two fighting or flirting?" Darry questioned playfully as he entered the room.

"How's our patient today?" I asked, flashing a smile at Danny.

"She is refusing treatment, doctor," Soda proclaimed in a deep and masculine voice.

"Should I get the restraints?" I offered, suppressing a chuckle.

"No," Soda said thoughtfully, "I think I can persuade her."

Sodapop removed his glower and whipped out one of his signature wide and bright grins. Lowering himself, he placed his lips against Danny's. As they separated, Danny's expression quickly turned from joyful to humorously annoyed.

"You're gonna get pneumonia if you keep doing that," she warned in her mother voice.

"Oh," Soda feigned serious worry, "what a shame! Then I would be stuck in bed with you until you got better and then had to take care of me. I've always had a thing for nurses."

"Doctor," Danny turned to me, "I think this one has come down with a fever because he's delusional if he thinks a line like that will work on a girl like me."

"Very funny," Soda mocked, "shoot me down before I even get going."

"I could use real bullets. I think there's one in a jar down at the police station with my name on it. I could put it right here," she smiled and poked at his chest.

"Straight through the heart, babe," Soda smirked.

"Ugh," a voice sounded from the hallway and we watched as Two-Bit swaggered in. "_I'm _gonna need a doctor 'cause these two are makin' me sick."

Sodapop leapt up from his chair abruptly and charged at Two-Bit, grabbing the cigarette out of his mouth and tossing it out the open window.

"Get that outta here," Soda ordered, "you know she can't have any smoke around."

"Sorry, man," Two-Bit genuinely apologized, "I forgot. Sorry Danny."

"Hey," Danny smiled, "it's alright. This house is so littered in second hand smoke from you no good hoods one little cigarette isn't gonna kill me."

"Oh," Sodapop started, glancing around, "I – I never even thought – Ponyboy we need to change these sheets and – we should vacuum or –"

"You worry more than a girl before a first date," Danny shook her head as she took her boyfriends hand.

Soda calmed himself and we all simply enjoyed the moment. Nothing could describe how it felt to see Danny and Soda together again, or even smiling. Her wit and sarcasm were swiftly returning to her and it wouldn't be long before her physical strength followed the healing of her mental stamina. I watched her silently for a moment as the others continued to tease and laugh. It wasn't until a sharp coughing sound broke through the room that my smile wavered. My eyes focused still on Danny, now lurching forward, hand clamped tightly over her mouth, the other clutching at her chest. The fit lasted for nearly a minute and once it passed, Danny's face was again the weakened and pale shape it once was.

"Come on," Darry motioned towards Two-Bit and me, "let's let Danny rest." He paused at the door. "Soda, I think you should come too."

"No," Soda shook his head sadly, "I want to stay with her."

"Go on," Danny whispered, "I'm starting to get sick of you," she smiled softly and stroked his arm. "Go, I'll be fine. I'm just going to sleep. I'm not on my deathbed or anything anymore, thanks to you. Go."

Soda nodded quietly and lifted her feeble arm, gently kissing her hand before he stood and followed the rest of us into the hall and then to the living room.

"She's getting better," Darryl stated after the silence had become too much for all of us.

"Yeah," Soda mumbled, "I know. It's just –" He sighed, searching for the words, the thoughts.

"I know," Darry nodded, placing a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "We know."

"She sure seems better," Two-Bit sighed as he slumped down on the couch.

Soda shook his head and collapsed into the armchair. His face fell into his hands and remained there for several seconds before he reemerged.

"She ain't gettin' better," Soda grumbled in a voice you would expect to hear from a dying woman's husband. "Sure, she ain't so sick no more and she's gonna be able to walk soon with help, but she's – different."

"Seems like she's back to her old stubborn and hilarious self," Two-Bit shrugged.

"It ain't right," Soda dropped his hands and shook his head. "She wouldn't talk to nobody after we told her about Jesse and now these past two days all of a sudden she's herself again? I don't get it. It's like she's hidin' her true feelings from me and I don't know why. She keeps jokin' and all like nothing happened. I try to go along with it but I know it ain't really how she's feelin'."

"What are we supposed to do," Two-Bit leaned forward, "_make _her be sad?"

"We don't have to," I interjected quietly. "She already is. She's just hiding it well is all."


	18. Litte Brown Bag

**Chapter 18: Little Brown Bag**

Darry had the afternoon off for the first time in months so he took advantage of a rare opportunity to obtain at least some amount of sleep once I returned home from school. He did not fail to sternly remind me to do my homework while I watched over Danny though before slipping off to bed. Sitting down at my desk, I checked the time. Soda would be back from work within the hour and I would retire to the living room couch for the remainder of my assignments. Knowing this, I merely unpacked my History book and began studying the chapter we had discussed in class. After every few paragraphs I would glance over at Danny who would each time be sleeping peacefully. Every so often she would groan or turn and I would watch her until she settled. Her condition was favorably improved. On my first many shifts, I would get little to no homework completed as I had to constantly have an eye on her as she would thrash about or get sick or need her medication.

As I folded over the last page of the chapter and glanced over my post-chapter challenge questions and answers, I again checked the time. My stomach churned. Two hours had passed and I had learned everything possible about the French Revolution that was made available in our class book and there was still no sign of my brother. He sometimes was asked to work late, but made a point to call the house with the station payphone after Darry verbally beat the tar out of him for not doing so the first time he wandered home three hours late. Sodapop wasn't the most attentive person and tended to forget most things, like wearing shoes or washing the dishes. Still, he had made a habit of making a phone call. After everything our family had been through, we knew not to leave each other in the dark.

I considered waking Darry for a brief moment and then imagined I would save Soda the pounding if he was merely running late. But what if he wasn't? My mind raced with the endless possibilities. He wasn't fully recovered yet and couldn't hold his weight in a fight as he once could. Even if that fact were not true, if he got jumped by a group of kids, he would get pummeled no matter how in shape he was.

It wouldn't have been the first time that someone came after him after his shift. Many girls came there not only to get their car fixed or fill up their tank, but also to flirt with my brother, even Soc girls. One time a girl probably about nineteen or twenty stopped by and began saying all sorts of dirty things to my brother, things he wouldn't even repeat to me. He paid no mind to her though. Sure, Soda loved attention and fed off of it almost as much as he did food, but he knew this girl's boyfriend. Jerry Hanson was a real tough kid, neither a greaser nor a Soc, but he used to be on the school's wrestling and football teams. He shoved a boy in a locker just for smiling at his girlfriend. After Soda was done with work, he began walking home since Steve was working later. About two blocks down from the gas station, Jerry found my brother and tore into him until Soda passed out. After that, Steve drove Soda home every night, even if that meant one of them having to stay there and wait for the other to finish working.

The snap of the screen door opening and crashing shut pulled me from my worries and an unsteady Sodapop entered the bedroom with an expression I had never seen him possess before.

"Where were you?" I asked with concern and anger.

"Nowhere. I had to go – I had something I had to take care of."

"What do you mean, 'take care of'? You never leave Danny's side unless we pry you away and now you suddenly go off without a word? What's going on?"

"Nothin' Pony. Don't worry so much."

"What's in the bag Soda?"

He looked down, startled, as if to have seen the tattered brown paper bag for the first time.

"Oh this, it's nothing."

"Show me what's inside."

"Lay off, Pony. It's none of your business. When did you become mini-Darry?"

"Since you started acting so different. I'm worried about you. You're my brother. And if you'd rather have this conversation with Darry, I can go wake him up. _Or_ you can show me what's in that bag."

"Fine. But you got to promise. Promise me you ain't gonna tell nobody."

"I promise."

He released a labored sigh and reached a shaking hand into the small sack. I was shocked speechless and before I could form a thought, I didn't have to speak a word.

"What the hell are you doing with that thing?"

Soda and I both jumped at the booming yet raspy voice that filled the room. Darry stood in the doorway with wrinkled clothes and tousled hair. His expression failed to match his attire. Instead of his possessing his normal groggy yawn and rubbing his eyes feverishly as he normally did when one of us woke him in the middle of one of his rare naps, he was wide awake. His eyes were wide and seemed to glow as they looked intently at the darkened object in Sodapop's hand. I couldn't tell if he was about to holler or have a heart attack.

"Are you two out of your damn minds?"

"Ponyboy didn't do nothing." Soda breathed out heavily. "It's mine."

Darry clenched his fists and began to open his mouth when Soda cocked his head up at his older brother. His eyes were glossy and pleading. Soda had always acted younger than his true age, but at that moment, he looked it. He glanced from me and then back to Darry, sorrow plastering his face. I had no idea what was going on but the mere sight of my brother caused my heart to break in two.

"Darry," Soda choked out, "there's something you need to know."

Sodapop slipped the object back into the bag and set it down, waving Darry and myself to leave the room. We all stepped into the cramped hall as Soda eased the door closed with only a slight crack open.

"Alright," Darry began, "you want to tell me what is going on with you and why you bring something like that into this house?"

"There's – there's something I haven't told you guys, about the night – that night. The guys, the ones that jumped us, they weren't just some Socs. One of them – one of them was – was David."

"What?" Darry asked dumbfounded.

"David?" I remarked, not wanting to believe it. "David, her brother David?"

"I overheard some guys talking at the station today. He was definitely there."

"Holy –" Darry cut himself off. "Does Danny know?"

"Danny doesn't remember and I don't know if I want her to."

"So, what?" Darry questioned. "You planned on paying him a visit with that new little toy of yours?"

"No, well, at first. I wanted to kill him for touching her, him and anyone else that was there that night. I couldn't let him get away with it. Steve cooled me down. Said he didn't want to see his best friend get the chair."

"Good old Steve," Darry sighed, "finally level-headed for once."

"So," I started slowly, "why'd you get it then?"

"'Cause I wasn't going to let anyone touch her again, _ever_."

The three of us stood silent for a moment, taking everything in at once. I clenched my fists, digging my fingernails into the palm of my hands. The rage inside of me turned over and began building up, boiling my blood. I had already loathed David with every fiber of my being before from the mere stories Danny would reveal to us. Now, I too wished him dead. It is an enormously cruel thing to wish upon someone, I know, but the anger inside of me didn't care. I couldn't imagine how Soda must have felt if I was that affected by it. Darry was subdued, but his eyes darkened to an almost hollowed black appearance. None of us knew what to say or were even able to speak.

A sudden thump awoke all of us from our inner thoughts and drew our attention towards the bedroom. Soda ripped open the door and nearly collapsed backwards into Darry when he found an empty bed. I hurried over to the open window and peered out, finding no one. I turned around to find Darry's eyes searching the room and then fix themselves on the bedside table. Empty. I followed his gaze down to the floor. There, laid the crumpled brown bag, overturned. I picked it up and crushed it closed in my hand to reveal its emptiness.

"On no." Darry cursed under his breath as Soda staggered away from him.

"You don't think –" I questioned, not desiring to finish the thought.

"She wouldn't." Soda fervently rose to the defense of his girlfriend.

"Ten minutes ago," Darry started towards Soda, "I would have said the same thing about you."

"I wouldn't either! I told you –"

"You wanted to." Darry interrupted. "How much more then, do you think _she_ would? She didn't have half a day and a friend to calm her down."

"We have to find her." Soda declared as he pushed past Darry and headed for the door.


	19. No Turning Back

**A/N: Just because I haven't said it in awhile...I don't own The Outsiders, you know the drill.**

**By the way...**

**I KNOW Danny is a Mary Sue. *gasp* Yes. Surprise, surprise. I'm sorry if she annoys any of you readers out there. This was just something I thought up and wanted to have some fun with. I KNOW that sometimes it's a tad over-the-top, but, again, read previous statement please. But...Danny is not so perfect. You get a glimpse of that in this chapter, but there is something coming soon that will pop her perfect little bubble and she will doing something that just might make you hate her for awhile...like I said, this is all just for my own personal fun.**

**BUT, if you feel like making me grin and squeel like a Mary Sue, send a review my way if you actually do like the story!**

**Chapter 19: No Turning Back**

The three of us bolted from the house into Darry's truck and then sped off down the street. It didn't take us long to reach David's house and find him in his driveway, polishing up his shining mustang. We piled out and cornered him before he could retreat into the house.

"Well," David started with a smirk, "if it isn't the greaser brothers."

Without a word, Sodapop charged towards David and lifted him up by his collar, shoving his body against the side of his car.

"How could you, huh? How could you!"

"You better watch in grease, this isn't your territory."

"Just like you weren't in your territory when you shot Danny!"

"Hey, I didn't touch your girlfriend."

"No, but you were there alright, you were there and you watched it all."

"So what if I was, how are you going to prove it?"

"I don't need to prove it, I just need to pay you back for what you did."

He shoved David harder against the car and Darry quickly stepped forward, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Soda, this ain't why we're here. Don't do this."

"Yeah Soda," I added, "he ain't worth it. We need to find Danny."

Sodapop sighed and released his grip on David, backing away reluctantly.

"What'd you do, lose her again? Maybe you're not losing her, maybe she just is running away from you, you pathetic gre–"

Before David could finish, Darry took a sudden step forward and sent his fist into David's face. The blow caused a thin red liquid to begin trickling down from David's nose and he grasped it in agony. I looked up at my eldest brother in awe in that moment. Soda wasn't capable of causing others' pain. Sure, he could hold his own in a rumble or something like that, but pure rage-filled violence changes a person. Darry knew this and he knew he had to protect Sodapop, as he was always protecting the two of us.

"I'm going to kill you Curtis." David spouted as he clenched his fist and locked eyes with Darry.

"Not if I kill you first."

The four of us turned around to see a sickly but livid looking Danny. Her hair remained unkempt and her posture was slightly staggering. With quivering hands, she grasped the small black object that had been residing in the paper bag and brought it up to face her brother's head.

"You're crazy." David shook his head.

"Danny," Soda said softly, "you shouldn't be here."

"Neither should you." Danny pleaded. "Go, get out of here."

"We can't do that," Soda explained, "not unless you come with us."

"Fine, then just get out of my way."

"I can't do that either. Look, I was ready to do it myself when I first found out, believe me, part of me still wants to, but I can't, and neither can you."

"Why? You know what he did to me."

"Yeah, I do, but it ain't worth going to jail. If you do this, if you kill him, there's no turning back. You'll have to live with it for the rest of your life."

"I don't care."

"Danny, I know you and I know you do care. This ain't you."

"Ever since our parents met he has tortured me and I have just taken it. He watched as his father beat me again and again. Just like he watched as his friends beat and raped me. His father took my mother away from me. They took everything! I had one thing left that was mine, that I could control, and he watched as some guy took it away from me and he enjoyed it! Who was it David? Was it Craig, or John? Or was it you?"

"You're sick." David spat.

"I'm sick? You stood and watched as they did those things to me, and I'm the one that is sick? The only thing that I'm sick with is pneumonia and I don't care if it kills me because, what do I have left, huh? Do you even have a conscious?"

At the last question, she pulled back the safety and steadied her hand.

"Danny," Soda shouted, "don't you do this. Don't you let him win."

"Think about Jesse," I added pleadingly.

At that comment, her stance visibly shifted. Her eyes softened briefly and her arm holding the loaded weapon faltered.

"Jesse's gone," Danny whimpered. "Just another thing he took from me."

"You can still get him back," Soda argued, "but not if you do this. If you kill him, you might never see Jesse again. He ain't worth it," Soda echoed the words I had urged him to believe only moments earlier."

"You're better than him," Darry spoke softly, "better than this."

Danny took several painstakingly slow steps forward towards her loathsome brother, the gun still aimed steadily in his direction. The cold metal pushed against his cheek and David lowered himself in fear.

"Danny –" Soda reached out his hand to his disturbed girlfriend.

At his voice, Danny tilted her head to the side, her eyes desperately attempting to hide her chaotic emotions but failing. Again, she pushed the gun harder into his face. She kept it there for several lingering seconds before pulling her arm back and dropping the weapon into Soda's hand. Without a word or moment of hesitation, Danny turned back to her brother who was already smirking and sent her fist colliding with the side of his face. His already hunched body collapsed to the ground. As he fell, Danny's frailty no longer could be kept at bay by sheer adrenaline. Her stamina gave way, along with her legs, and she tumbled backwards, finding the arms of Soda ready scoop her up.


	20. Poison

**TITLE: **A Change is Gonna Come

**CHAPTER/TITLE: **Chapter Twenty/ Poison

**RATING: **T (language and mature content)

**A/N: ** So…..it's been a LONG time. (Please don't kill me.) Like most of my stories, this is on my laptop which got a virus and I lost all my files. I was an idiot who didn't back up a lot of my Word documents. (Please don't kill me.) I have some written out on paper and am working on the rest. I wanted to give you all at least a little something, even if it is a little evil. (Please don't kill me.)

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Outsiders.

**Chapter Twenty: Poison**

"So, what now?" I shrugged, hoping that someone else had some idea, any idea, of what to do.

"We could go to the police." Sodapop was reaching and we all knew it.

None of us ever bothered with the fuzz seeing as they only made things worse.

"Look," he continued, against the gang's disapproving glares. "Danny and I can both testify or whatever that David and those other Soc's were there and tell 'em what they did."

"Going against my family – David's family – doesn't work," Danny sighed. "Trust me. It's our word against theirs. Besides, they have money, which means expensive lawyers. What do we got?"

"Each other," Soda grinned his boyish grin. "We always got each other. No matter what."

"Is that enough?" Danny's voice barely came above a whisper. "I was shot – and – and – what they did me –" she turned away and swallowed. "You could've been killed. I lost Jesse. I've lost my parents. Anna is being moved to some state funded hole in the ground because of me. You all had to take care of me while I was sick. Ya'll got lives, jobs, and I'm ruining everything. I'm – I'm a poison."

"Hush," Soda soothed. "Don't talk like that."

"No, Soda. It's true. I've messed up your lives just like I messed up everyone else's!"

"Our lives were pretty messed up before you came along," Two-Bit snorted.

I couldn't help but shudder. Two-Bit was right. Sarcastic and not spoken at the best time, but right. Our lives were pretty messed up. They were and are beyond messed up. Death. Fighting. Rough. Unfair. I knew exactly how Danny felt and the guilt I had worked so hard to forget came rushing back into my gut. Guilt over always being a burden on my brothers. Guilt for running off. I always knew Johnny and Dally's deaths were my fault. It ate at me from the inside and nearly killed me in the process. I couldn't tell Darry or Soda any of this. They'd get all worried and I'd just feel even more guilty. I was the one who ran out the door, who spat in that Soc's face, who Johnny killed Bob Sheldon to save, who ran into the damned fire first, it was  
all my fault. I always thought I was cursed so when Danny Hill called herself poison, I was the only one in the room who didn't really swallow their tongue in shock.

"Listen, I'm better now. You don't need to take care of me anymore. I should go." The way she said this so matter-of-fact seemed almost cold.

"Go? Go where?" Soda's voice was the exact opposite of her calm words.

"I – I don't know." She replied honestly. "Home, maybe."

"You're going to go back, _alone_, in Soc territory, after what happened? No way."

"This isn't for you to decide," Danny suddenly snapped and I saw my brother's face twist. "I'm leaving."

"When you say 'leaving', you just mean, here, right? The house?" Soda sounded desperate and I almost couldn't look at him.

Danny was silent for a long time. At least, it felt like a long time. Actually, it felt like years. I knew what was coming next. I think Two-Bit did too. He got real tense and leaned forward like he was ready to pounce on my brother to hold him back.

"No, Soda, I mean leaving. This house. _That house. _Us. Everything."

"So, so, so what? You – you're just gonna give up? On Anna? On Jesse? On – on us? No. No. You cant. You – you just can't. What about your family?"

"Maybe they're better off without me. Lok what happened when I was around. Jesse went missing – twice. I already destroyed my family! They're better off without me!"

"What are you talkin' about? You –"

"I killed them! I killed my parents! It wasn't some drunk kid! It was _me_! My stepdad didn't see the kid coming because I was too busy yelling at him! We – were fighting – like we always did. It was my fault my mom died. Mine!"

"Danny, you couldn't – you didn't –"

"Stop. Please, don't. Just stop. I'm sorry. I – I have to go now."

"Danny wait!" Sodapop grabbed Danny's arm as she made for the door. "Please! Please, Danny. I love you."

"Well," Danny looked like she was choking on her words. "I – I don't."

The room went dead quiet. The last time our house had been this still was in the seconds after I told the gang about Johnny dying. I almost couldn't stand the silence.

"You – you – wh – what?" Soda was white and his eyes reminded me of a wounded animal.

"I – I don't – love you." She chewed out. "I can't."

I don't think Soda heard that last part. I don't think anybody else did. She had said it so quiet that I don't think I was supposed to either.

I didn't hear anything else after that though. Danny walked right out the door without so much as a goodbye to the rest of us. Sodapop followed her of course. He was hollering something fierce, I think it was just her name, over and over again. But I can't be sure. I just stood there and stared dumbly at the wall. She was doing what I had wanted to do ever since I came back. But now, as I felt what I knew everyone else was feeling, I realized I could never do it. In that instant, everything changed. I thought I caused everyone so much pain being around, but I would hurt them more by leaving. Danny being gone felt like taking a bullet from a heater straight to the chest.

And if I was feeling like that, I couldn't imagine how much pain my brother was in.

**A/N: I know, I know. Some people did NOT want Danny to leave. But to explore some of the other options (like Jesse joining the Shepherd gang for example) I sort of needed her gone. I also really wanted this story to be more about Sodapop, about their relationship second, then about Danny, then about Ponyboy. Or something like that. I didn't want their relationship/Danny being the only main focus. I wanted Sodapop to have to be on his own for a bit. To have to deal on his own. Make sense? Hate me? Think it's an awful, boring, pathetic, annoying chapter? Think it's an awful, boring, pathetic, annoying story? Let me know. Up next….Jesse and the Shepherd gang**


	21. New Shepherd on the Block

**TITLE: **A Change is Gonna Come

**CHAPTER/TITLE: **Chapter Twenty One/ New Shepherd on the Block

**RATING: **T (language and mature content)

**A/N: ** A lot of you wanted to see Jesse getting involved in the Shepherd gang. Here is a little preview of things to come as Jesse gets involved with them. There will be more of him and the gang. And if you're skeptical because he is so young, it's not uncommon for gangs to take in kids as young as around that age

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Outsiders.

**Chapter Twenty One: New Shepherd on the Block**

"Look, kid," Steve mumbled, "I ain't too keen on this whole drivin' you home from school so let's make a deal. You, shut your trap and I'll keep my fists to myself."

I turned toward the car window and rolled my eyes. We hadn't even been in the car for one whole minute and Steve was already reading me the riot act. Two-Bit was at home sick today so it fell on Steve to make sure I got home without getting the tar beat out of me. Of course, he just might be the one to do it. I hated it when Steve drove me home. In fact, I hated any time I was forced to be alone with my brother's best friend. How someone as kind as Sodapop could pal around with someone as cold as Steve Randle was beyond my understanding. Things were a little different for the past couple days though at least.

We had, I guess, a common goal; to keep Sodapop sane. Steve kept a sharp eye on him at work and Darry and I watched him like hawks at home. Sodapop loved to play tricks, tell dirty jokes with Steve, work on cars, roughhouse, even rumble. Sodapop was not some soft Soc. But my brother, was a lover. Yeah, I know I sound goofy saying it, but it's the truth. Soda was chasing girls before any of the rest of us. He was always with a dame. Always. Before Sandy there was Mary Sue, Linda, Sara Jane, Beth, Rachel, Martha and Joanne. After Sandy, he had trouble being with girls for a long time, but that didn't stop him from fooling around. Between Sandy and Danny, there was Susan, Donna and Connie. My brother wasn't and isn't no dirty grease who changes broads every night, I'll tell you that right now, and you better believe it. He treated girls real nice and all. With all the girls, Soc and greaser, that threw themselves at Sodapop, he could've had one every night without trying, but he ain't like that. When he was alone it was like he wasn't really whole. I don't understand it all. Maybe when I'm older I'll figure it out and get it right. Sodapop was just in love with love. Not all mushy though like girls who draw hears in their schoolbooks. What do I know? I'm still just a kid and I don't think I'm making much sense anyway.

"He doin' okay on your end?"

Steve's voice broke me out of my chaotic thoughts and I didn't speak right away, surprised he had said anything to me.

"Hey, stupid, you can talk now."

But I couldn't. I had already forgotten the question. I had forgotten just about everything. My eyes had caught a glimpse of something out the window and it knocked any speech out of me. Steve must've followed my horrified gaze.

"Looks like Shepherds got themselves a new member," he grunted. "Who's the runt? That kid can't be old enough to –"

And then he must've realized what I had already pieced together back after we turned the corner and came up on the alley. I heard him let out a long string of curses as he killed the engine. He was out of the car before I could catch my breath. I quickly fumbled with my seatbelt and hopped out.

"What the hell are you doin' Curly?" Steve hissed.

"What's it look like, idiot? Initiation. This here is the new member of the Shepherd gang. We're seein' what he can do."

I couldn't see my own face, but I'm pretty sure it was pale white and horrified. A group of the Shepherd boys had surrounded a small kid. The dark haired boy was pouncing on top of a kid who was probably twice his size.

"We're goin' easy on the runt," Curly snorted. "Don't worry."

I could feel myself getting hot and my body was shaking.

"Does Tim know about this?" Steve spoke before I could.

"I'm in charge of initations now," Curly said proudly, "so beat it. This ain't your business."

"Wrong," Steve spat. "The kid _is_ our business."

I glanced at Steve in shock. What did he care?

"He wants to be with us," Curly grinned in a way I really didn't like.

"He's eight years old!" I shouted and Jesse's head snapped up at me.

"I'm not weak!" Jesse yelled and stomped his foot. "I'm not weak. I'm not."

"No one ever said you were weak, little man," Steve shook his head. "This just – isn't the place for you."

"Don't tell me what to do! I'm not a kid!"

"Yes, you are!" I tried to be firm without shouting at him.

"You can't tell me what to do. You're not my family. I have no family!"

"Danny –"

"She's gone! She left! She don't care 'bout me!"

"Don't you get it?" I spat before even realized I was talking. "She left to protect you! All of us! I _know _that! She wanted you to be safe! This isn't safe!"

I tried not to squirm under the look Steve was giving me just then. I had gone off and ran my mouth and said way too much. Great.

"Don't matter," Jesse huffed. "She left. Nobody cares 'bout me. Go away."

"Jesse –"

"You heard the kid," Curly snapped. "Beat it."

The rest of the group started walking toward us at his words. I was stuck where I was. I couldn't leave Jesse. Not with them. In a flash, I saw Jesse – the brave, bright boy – turning into someone like Tim or Dally, hard from everything in the world. Mad at everything in the world.

Steve pulling on my arm brought me back to reality and I reluctantly let him haul me away, although I never turned around, my eyes locking with Jesse's until we reached the car. As we sped away, I felt like we were abandoning Jesse, just like he thought everyone else had abandoned him.

He was angry and confused, probably scared too but too proud to admit it. He was looking for a way to escape. To be part of a family. To hurt others like he'd been hurt. Plenty of kids I knew had done the same. Most of them never were the same again. Most of them just got angrier and more violent.

Most of them never made it to their 18th birthday.

I could see Jesse getting gunned down by the cops, just like Dally.

And just like Dally, I could Jesse, gladly welcoming death as a chance to be free.


End file.
